One of Life's Many Secrets
by Celtic Ice Dragon
Summary: What is it like living, unable to be accepted by anyone? Vallarin knows better than anyone. Being a freak unlike any other, Vallarin wants nothing more than to be normal. She soon learns that sometimes normal is stranger than she is. Rated T for some violence later on and I am new and paranoid. Feel free to give me a review this is my first fanfic. Please tell me what you think
1. Begining of a strange day

When does this end? When did it begin? Why is it me?

That's what I have to ask myself. Because I am haunted by it. It never leaves. It's always there. My constant companion.

My name is Vallarin Tessla Zatov. Apparently my family had a sense of humor. I wouldn't know, I've never met the people. Not sure I want to. Not sure I ever will. See, because of them, I happen to be a special kind of freak. I can't be accepted by the humans or any other creature. I happen to be the most completely messed up person in the world. I am the sun block reliant, full moon phobic, blood sucking, super fast, super strong, super basically unkillable freak whose parents seemed to think it was a good idea to mix werewolf and vampire into one being. Seeing as how I've never met them shows what good it did them right? My least favorite part of the day? Morning.

_Beeep… beep…beep…be-clang_

"Shut up, too early," I opened my eyes to glare at my alarm clock which had just earned itself yet another dent. And nearly fell off the ceiling.

"This is bad, I'm gonna be late. First day of school being late is not recommended. Nope, this is bad." I let myself float to the floor, and begin to prepare for the day which includes a WHOLE lot of quick drying sunscreen.

I rush through my getting dressed for school, donning a simple pair of jeans and my favorite T-shirt. I grab the first thing I see out of the cabinets- not like any of it sounds good anyway- and head toward the door, backpack in hand.

The door opens before I even get to it and then closes after I go through. Another freak thing about me is that I happen to be telekinetic and on the rarest occasion that I feel like it, im strong enough, and they are unaware of it I am also telepathic. It sucks.

I could very well have the ability to be telepathic often but ever since a very certain accident that occurred a long while back, I've refuse to drink blood of any kind. Doesn't help that I get queasy at the sight of it. But after the incident it just became impossible.

It happened three hundred years ago I was in the woods when my friend quite literally bumped into me. He was bleeding and I was young. When his parents found us he was on the ground very pale and not moving. I said that this was how I had found him. They believed me.

They blamed it on an animal. I was there when he came to, he heard the story and was asked if it was an animal that attacked him he stared straight at me and said yes.

He never told anyone that that animal had been me. I had been strong enough back then and had heard the thought very clearly every time he saw me back then; _"Monster"_

I moved. When I moved back at the now eternal age of seventeen he had died. Everything has changed. I visited the cemetery and found his grave. What I saw left me…disturbed.

Blake Allan Harrison

Looked for Monsters

Found his Death

They took him

He took three

I push it out of my head and hurry in the direction of the school. I get there just in time for the late bell.

My life sucks.


	2. First Day of School

I walk into the school trying my hardest to be a stealthy little half-breed. This, of course, means that I fail miserably.

"First day of school and I find that I am already disappointed Miss Zatov," I turn to face the pug faced principal whom I didn't need telepathic powers to tell hated me.

"Sorry Mr. Brown. Won't happen again sir." Without waiting for a response I turn and run in the direction of my first class.

I stop outside the room practice faking my breathing, which I don't need to do, and calmly walk in. And stop.

Everyone is staring at me with seemingly unblinking eyes. It annoys me so much I almost want to bite someone. Dog instinct 101; eye contact can be taken as a threat. Also happens to be a huge pet peeve.

Don't get me wrong I'm a good girl I will make eye contact when talking, but put me in an already stressful environment and have people stare at you without end just makes me angry.

"What, did somebody die or something?" I glare around the room waiting for someone to say something. Slightly to my displeasure I get a response.

"Frankly, we were starting to wonder if you had." I didn't have much trouble finding the speaker. He kind of stood out in a crowd.

Sandy hair that looked as if not even a strong breeze could ruin and the perfect face. Grey eyes and clear skin, muscled and tanned. He looked perfect, yet, his voice was cold.

"Nice. Hi everyone I'm the new friendly dead person. At your service." I gave a slight little mocking bow and walked to the only empty desk there was. This was right next to Mister Perfect and some dude with dark sunglasses who looked like the dangerous type.

People finally looked away as I began to unpack my stuff being OCD I started organizing my desk while I was at it. My notebook was perfectly centered with by pencil and pen perfectly parallel, and my sharpener, long round eraser, and extra lead were carefully arranged in the corner.

I was reaching under to stack my textbooks under my desk by order of size when I heard a soft plunk and saw my eraser bounce out of my reach just past my unfriendly looking neighbor's desk.

I sat up and tapped his desk lightly. He looked at me looking like he was wondering what the heck I was doing and why did it involve him. I pointed at my eraser.

He sighed and grabbed it for me. He turned around towards me and extended the eraser to me. When I reached for it he gave it a little twitch and I grabbed nothing but air. I tried a few more times before I realized that he was playing with me.

I laughed silently and snatched for it again. He smiled just a little bit and finally put my eraser in its corner knocking over the sharpener while he was at it. He smiled again as I hurry to fix it and messes up my arrangements again.

Class, which turned out to be study hour, ended with sunglasses guy and I messing with each other's desks all hour.

Turns out his name is Taj Black Jandeil. From the notes we had ended up passing I learned that he was adopted and that was why his name was so messed up. He couldn't see why anyone would name a completely American white boy Taj. I told him my name and said that I was also adopted but I was happy with the name my parents had originally given me. He laughed.

Maybe my life doesn't suck as much as I thought.

"Hey! New girl! Principal wants you!"

I walked into the office where perfect boy was talking to the principal. I heard just a little part of their conversation

"- I'm telling you, one of them is here! I can feel it! One more chance I'll get it right this ti-"

"ENOUGH! We have a visitor. Perfect boy turned and saw me. I for some reason, had the sudden idea that I wasn't welcome.

Perfect left, leaving me with just the principal.

"Well Miss Zatov late on your first day, running in the school, interrupting a class, entering my office without knocking. I think a day of detention will suit you quite well. Don't you?"

Maybe I was wrong, my life does suck.


	3. Supreme Dweeb

I walk into the detention room, which basically reminds me of a jail. The walls were dark grey at some point and the lone window has wires in the glass. The window doesn't let in much light and the single light bulb flickers periodically.

Guess that's what you get when you get detention in a room in the basement. I look at the occupants in the room. I just happen to be In a room with three kinda scary looking people who seem to be good friends.

I clear my throat and they all turn and stare.

"There she is! Lady of the hour! Tell me; How_ has_ your first day at Harrison High been?" Taj is grinning what seems to be a very suspicious grin that stretches from ear to ear. His friends laugh and look at me expectantly with little smiles or glares that tell me my answer counts.

I grin back and give my answer, "Oh you know the usual. I arrived fashionably late for school, had a nice talk with Mr. Sourface Brown, went through the test are stares, met some dweeb whose name doesn't fit, had another nice talk with Mr. King of Sarcasm Brown, was put in detention, got yelled at by a couple teachers, was completely cut off from civilization at lunch, walked into some jail and met the dweeb's friends. Everyday normal."

They stare for a bit then start laughing. Taj pulls out a seat and put it at the desk next to his and pats the seat, clearly inviting me to sit down.

I sit and everyone rearranges themselves to surround my seat and start talking to me. One of them raises an interesting topic.

"So if were the dweeb's friend what does that make you?" I look at him and think on it, "That would depend on the dweeb now wouldn't it?"

Taj grins "She's the ultimate dweeb who became the dweeb's friend"

"So I'm the Supreme Dweeb now am I?" I stare at him and raise my eyebrow and smile a little.

"Yup" I almost laugh because he just looks so pleased with himself.

I grin and stand on my desk, "Then you shall bow to your Supreme Dweeb!"

We all laugh and they bow mockingly I give them orders for a while before I sense something.

"Shhhh everyone someone's coming!" I get off my desk and sit down just in the nick of time.

A teacher walks in and begins to give the longest, most boring lecture ever. Even though I don't technically need to sleep, I fall asleep.

Taj wakes me up and I open my eyes, instantly fully awake and look at him.

"Com'on lectures over. Let's get outta here." I stand and give a little stretch yawning nice and big and follow him out of the school. The others are already outside and joke about how I am like sleeping beauty and probably needed a kiss to be woken up.

To my ultimate surprise, Taj blushes. I look at my new friends trying to get a fix on these guys.

He has a square jaw, bit pale, but not overly so, very muscled and kinda scary looking at first. I look past my initial thought of scary and see the smile lines that could be mistaken as frown lines around his mouth. His sunglasses block his eyes so I can't tell what color they are but his hair is black.

Instead of scary I instead am starting to think of him as a cool looking… friend.

Samuel, the one who had asked if I was the dweeb's friend or what – to put it roughly – has blond hair with freckles on his cheeks. He too has the same easily mistakable smile lines as Taj. He doesn't look as cool as Taj but he still looks pretty dang awesome.

Ricky, the third, has red hair and might as well be just one huge freckle. He looks a bit less happy go lucky than the others.

All three of them wear sunglasses. And all three look kind. I realize they are staring at me and snap to attention.

"Sorry, what? Did you say something?" I realize that I am blushing furiously and try to stop.

"Did ya see enough? Cause ya know we're always glad to show ya more." Taj grins in such a way all I can do is glare. Which is hard to effectively do when you're as red as a tomato.

"I'm all right, thanks."

"I was just kidding. Com'on don't be a spoil sport we asked if ya wanna come to the pizza parlor with us." He puts his hands up in a plaintive gesture and the other two copy him.

Ricky smiles deviously, "Please, Oh Supreme Dweeb? Please come with your lowly dweeb minions to the Pizza Parlor?"

I stare at him for a moment then laugh. Unable to speak I wave for them to lead the way. They grin and surround me, Taj taking my left arm, Samuel taking my right, Ricky is behind and holds my shoulders.

Without warning Ricky begins pushing me at a full out run. Taj and Samuel run too on impulse I lift up my feet and they carry me like a car out of control all the way to the Pizza Parlor. When it was time to turn Taj and Samuel would begin the Turn Ricky kept the continuous forward force.

I couldn't remember laughing so hard in three hundred years.

Maybe my life could be normal after all.


	4. Not Normal After All

"Hey, are you serious? This is your pizza parlor?!"I couldn't seem to close my mouth. The place is awesome ceiling had to be at least thirty feet up with a disco ball and a stage in the corner and waiters who actually did their jobs, and live pizza making, and altogether awesomeness.

The guys apparently see me gaping and decide to play a cruel joke. Ricky, who I would later realize was the jokester of the group, casually opens a pepper packet, grabs my head, pulls it back and dumps the packet into my mouth.

Of course, to them my reaction to them is just hysterical. It's not like its any different then how any other person would react. I turn and glare at them only to see all three of them open pepper packets and dump them in their mouths without the slightest hint of a reaction.

I stare and then begin laughing. "What is with you guys? don't ya got any taste buds?"

They grin devilishly and reach for more pepper. I am thankfully saved by the bell. Literally. I jump to my feet and go and get the pizza we had just ordered. I miss the look the three shoot at each other behind my back.

As I grab the pizza I stop in my tracks. Why would I be smelling a dog in this high class pizza parlor? I look around for a moment and then shake my head to clear it.

I must be going crazy. I bring the two pizzas over to the guys who are staring at me expectantly. Samuel has a sort of 'I told you so' smile on his face. I mentally slap myself. A seventeen year old girl of my build carrying two large heavy pizzas, why do I have to be so dumb?

I purposely make my arms shake as I bring the two trays over. "Ugh. Thanks for all the help guys."

Taj smiles a little "Yeah anytime"

I reach for a piece of one of the pizzas but all three of the guys reach out and stop me "Our pizza," Ricky points at the one I had been reaching for, "Your pizza," He points at the other then repeats. "Our pizza. Your pizza."

"All right, all right I got. Geez, what do ya'll think I am a pig?" I sigh and take a piece of the other pizza. My eyes almost begin to water at the glorious smell as I take a bite.

Fifteen minutes later I come back to myself to find my platter completely empty and my belly…only partially full.

I take a napkin and wipe my face, and to my relief nothing seems to have been on my face.

The guys are smiling at me and I realize that they have taken off their glasses. I realize something else too. Their Irises are red. Blood red.

They stare at me with small smiles and I get the feeling that they are a bit nervous. Taj speaks first.

"Are… are you good? All full? No crazy killing thoughts?" his voice seems just a little bit more nervous then he looks.

Then again I can _smell_ his fear. I can smell all their fear. They didn't know what I was going to say or do. They didn't know if I was safe. I saw my reflection is Samuel's eyes and knew the cause of their fear.

I took deep breaths and closed my eye, and felt myself change back to – well – to Vallarin Zatov. When I opened my eyes the guys were still staring at me.

"Sorry about that. That usually doesn't happen." I want to cry but I'm physically unable to. I look up at them, and Ricky speaks before I can say anything to explain.

"It's our fault. We thought it would be interesting to give ya a pizza with blood mixed in the sauce. We knew you weren't a human we didn't know you were whatever that was."

Taj is next, "See we – we are descended from a long line of gorgons so that's why we wear the glasses. Doesn't work on other monsters, even though that what would be the most useful in a lotta situation."

Samuel ends the gorgon apology with a question, "What are you?"

I sigh, "You guys really want me to tell you?" they nod, "Fine, but no questions. I was born on April 23, 1573 in this town. I never knew my parents. One was a vampire the other was a werewolf. That's all I know. I was adopted by the Harrison family and would wonder off and then back so as not to raise too much suspicion. When I was 91 I learned that I had the ability to…change form. It takes hold of me and takes away my will. After it satisfies its needs it allows me to take control again. That is what you saw."

I look around at my friends, "You can't tell anyone."

We leave shortly after and act like nothing had happened. We part ways promising to meet again at school. I turn and walk home the image burned in my brain.

A humanoid form with fur that was pitch black, darker than the night itself, and a snout with fangs longer and sharper than any wolves, horns, and ruby red eyes.


	5. Most powerful Girl in School

I fly around my room raster than any human eye can see. I can't stop thinking. I can't get it outta my head.

I'm a monster, I didn't have to see it to have known that. I open the window and fly out closing it behind me with my power.

I go to the place I've always gone to find comfort.

I head to the woods were Blake's parents had built a swing in a tree. I set my night for the sole purpose of mending the three hundred year old swing by memory.

When morning comes I find a nice shady spot in the trees and hunker down. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I turn into a wolf and run back to my home. I get ready for school and use my vampire speed to get to school.

I'm waiting outside the door for Taj and the others when someone taps my shoulder. I whirl around and stare at none other than Mr. Perfect himself.

"Hi. Morning. Can I help you?" I'm blushing but am learning to control it a bit.

He stares at me for a moment and then says, "Yeah. Could you move? You're blocking the door."

I turn and look around to either side. "What are you? OCD to the max? There are three other perfectly working doors barely two steps away. You want this one? Sorry if I seem a bit rude but wow." I step away from the door and let him through.

"Ya know, please and thank you are still kinda considered polite in this day and age, or am I still stuck in the 17th century?" He stops and turns and stares for a moment. I think that may be the first time I his high school career he had been told something like that.

"Thank you" He turns and walks away. As he does I hear a thought 'Weird_ girl, first time for a while. This may prove…interesting.'_

I stare after him for a moment when I hear something that comes from someone else _'Ha ha she'll never see it coming'_

"Ricky you dump those shavings on me I will kill you." I turn around and sure enough there stands a very surprised Ricky. I have to laugh to myself because the pose that he is in is priceless.

He looks like a bad basketball player who tried to do a slam dunk and got paused just at the precise moment for a funny picture. Not to mention that somehow the shavings suddenly seem to overflow right onto his head.

I smile and ruffle his hair. I can almost feel the good humored glare through the glasses. I hear whispers as the other two gather round. Something about how the three of them are gonna pulverize me.

I laugh and we start talking, making fun of each other and the rumors. Taj stops us all for a moment so we can listen to the hallway. Apparently with the mix of my talking back to Mr. Perfect OCD Icepop and my whole friends with the misunderstood dweebs who probably could be very worthy of the misunderstanding I have become the most powerful girl in the school.

So why don't I feel more powerful? Why don't I feel different? Why do I feel the same? What have I done to become powerful? If it's so easy why hasn't it been done before?

I am quiet and almost completely still all day until history where we are learning the towns history. There is a well known writing in this town that was written for the eulogy of none other than Blake Harrison.

He heard a tale

Of a beast

And searched for days a many.

Upon his search found a lair

And there he found his prey.

Looked for Monsters

Found his Death.

They took him

He took three

And now they're after me.

Passed down the line

From him to me and so on

To my son and so forth

Never stop till the world be free.

Only a part of the poem was used for the grave.

He had died in a time when the whole community was willing to believe in all sorts of mumbo jumbo.

His very own son wrote the poem. Something else suddenly decides to ruin my day, "Mr. Harrison I'm told that your family is still in possession of the original text and I right?"

Startled, I look to see who answers, "Eh, yes sir I believe you are correct, yes."

None other than Mr. Perfect just so happens to be the descendant of Blake Harrison.

I looked at the poem and read it multiple times over before the hidden meaning dawns on me. Blake became a slayer of monsters; he passed down the art to his son who passed it on to his son and so on and so forth. I stood up to a beast slayer.

I think I might just have become the most powerful girl in the history of this town.

The trick will be not letting him know what I am.


	6. Old memories of an old friend

I make up excuses not to meet up with the guys after school and run back to the woods.

When I get to the secret spot that I had been rebuilding I get back to work on the swing. When I'm done with that I set about doing other things to the small clearing.

By the end of the day I've got myself a high class hideout all to myself and my worries. Worries that can't seem to leave me alone.

I sit on the newly built swing and look around. I've built the entire place to resemble the past hideout from three hundred years ago. The one that Blake and I used.

It had been right here that I had attacked him. Right here that I had spent year of my life playing with him. He had been my best friend.

I find my mind wondering into waking dreams.

* * *

><p><em>"Blake! Blake! Come here! Come look at what I've found!" I was jumping around in middle of the clearing.<em>

_Blake had always thought that it was magic because we would leave one day come back another and a new toy would have appeared. Little did he know it was only his father._

_"Coming! Just wait a moment! You know I'm not as fast as you!" He burst into the clearing. With blonde hair and blue eyes he was easily the cutest boy I had met by then. His asthma made it hard for him to keep up with the other children but that was all right._

_It was the year of 1771 and I had come to realize that I aged slower than ever before when not around other humans. I would eventually stop aging at the apparent age of seventeen. For now I appeared to be but twelve and wiser than my years._

_Indeed I was wiser than any living twelve year old. In reality being one hundred and ninety-eight at the time._

_Blake ran up to me and as he reached my side I pointed smugly to my left, knowing what he would think at the sight of the swing._

_He gasped, "It must be magic! How do you think it get here? I mean it couldn't have just moved itself could it?"_

_I smiled and decided to be a bit playful I used my telekinesis to make it jump once to the left._

_Blake just about soaked himself in surprise and alarm. I copied his expression. Using the heat of the moment I decided that I would take it to my advantage._

_"Blake you can never tell anyone about this place! If they find out they will take it away! They'll take away the magic here! We can't let that happen okay?! This place trusts us! It trusts you! I trust you."_

_He nodded once and held out his left pinkie. "We'll do it together. You can trust me. I won't tell anyone. This is our place. Friends."_

_I smiled and finished the little cant we always did, "Friends. For now, forever, for always."_

* * *

><p>I blink away the tears in my eyes. This had been our hideout. This had been our place. It had been lost to time.<p>

I look to the right hand side of the clearing and see something glint in the sun. I walk over and investigate. It is the necklace I had given him the day after the accident when he had recovered.

I bend to pick up the rusted necklace and a flash of light from it sets me off guard. I hesitate then pick it up. Tears fall onto it as I stare at the trinket,

* * *

><p><em>Blake was lying in his bed, a cool rag on his forehead. Pale and quiet. He hadn't opened his eyes since the incident. Some people were beginning to fear he never would.<em>

_I walked over to his bed and sat next to him and held his hand. Tears were running down my face. I was scared he wouldn't wake._

_"Blake? Are you awake? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean to. It was an accident I'm sorry. Hate me if you want but don't die. If you die then so will I. As long as there is a Harrison I'll make sure I don't hurt anyone. Please, I promise."_

_I stuck something in his hand as I spoke and didn't notice the red glow of it as I did. I turned and starred to walk away._

_"I'll keep you to that promise, Valla." I turned and gaped at Blake who was staring at me with one eye. I could tell by the look in his eyes that this was the last thing he would ever have to do with me._

_That afternoon he testified that it had been a monster that had attacked him._

* * *

><p>I stare down at the trinket and allow the tears to spill onto the badly rusted surface of the necklace. It was the image of two howling wolves, on the back, I know, is the word, 'Forever'.<p>

I put the necklace into my pocket and head on home.

That had been the last time I had seen him as a child, and one of the last times I ever would.


	7. My Not-So-Perfect Day

I am waiting outside the school before anyone even comes to unlock it. I just sit and fiddle with my necklace, lost in thought that are unknown even to me.

"Miss Zatov? Are you all right?" I snap myself out of la-la-land and face the speaker. The janitor is standing at the steps with a worries look creasing his care worn face.

"Ah, yes. Sorry. Lost in thought I guess." I smile sheepishly at him and he nods.

He looks to the building then back at me, "Want to come on in? It's a lot warmer and dryer than out here."

I smile gladly, "Yes thank you." I stand and walk into the school.

We walk in talking together for a long while before the principal shows up, then we act like we don't even know each other. I act like I'm invisible, which seems to work quite well.

I smile and we talk a bit more once Mr. Know It All leaves. We quietly make fun of him and by the time all the other students are back, I'm having a nice conversation with the friendly janitor.

I say my farewells to the janitor and head to my locker. Only to find it blocked by the Jock-Squad-Jerk-Squad as I so eloquently name them.

"Excuse me." They ignore me.

"Can I help you" Again I'm ignored.

"Will you get your _fat butts_ out of my way?" _That _seems to get their attention as they turn and stare at me with an array of expressions that vary from shocked to furious.

"What did you say?" one guy, whose expression I automatically have to say is the dumbest I've ever seen.

Honestly, you'd think that no one has ever talked back to anyone in this school.

"I said 'excuse me' first, but not only are you fat you also have too much earwax to hear, evidently."

He scoffed while a couple of them guffawed at they're 'buddy' getting told by a girl.

"You think you're something, don't you?"

"No. I think you need to get out of my way before I make you." I stare him right in the eyes, leaving no indication that I'm joking.

The retard still insists on getting in my face, "Oh and just how do you plan on doing that exactly?"

I sigh, "You really want to know?" he nods, "Well first I'm gonna do this," – I step forward a bit and continue speaking while still in forward motion," Then I'm gonna do this", I punched him in the gut, pulling back almost all of my strength so as not to kill him, "Then this", I step back, "And finally _this!" _I grab his head as he bends over from the pain of the first attack and slam his face into my knee, again holding back almost all of my strength.

I let him fall to the floor, completely unconscious. I turn to his friends.

"Move." They part like the red see and tend to their friend.

I grab my books and go to study hour where Taj passes me notes all hour getting details of the attack. He seems to be getting a kick out of it. At lunch Samuel and Ricky are the same.

During lunch I feel this prickling on the back of my neck. I turn to see who is staring at me when I see the Jock-Squad staring, their buddy fully conscious.

Just because I know that it will completely annoy the heck out of them, I smile and raise my chocolate milk carton in a salute.

I grin at their glares and turn around. The guys all laugh with me.

I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn to see Josh Harrison, otherwise known as Mr. Perfect. I raise my eyebrows.

He stares for a moment. Then another. Then yet another.

"Ya know I love the staring game as much as anyone and I can guarantee that ill will but im pretty sure that not why you tapped my shoulder."

He blinked and cleared his throat, "Mr. Brown wants you."

I turn around, "Great another detention!"

"Is it true that you punched Kyle?" I turn and look at him in surprise then look over at my new group of enemies.

"If you mean the guy who just got his face remodeled, then yeah. Why do ya ask?"

He nods and turns and begins to walk away, he calls over his shoulder, "He deserved it."

I turn back to the guys who are staring at me with as much amazement as im staring at them with.

"Did I just hear what I think I heard?" Taj breaks the surprised silence.

"Is it a good thing to be told that by him? I mean does he usually agree with people?"

The guys just shrug.

Ricky changes the topic by saying, "Hey about the detention, don't worry about it. One, you don't even have it yet. Two, Josh is right; Kyle deserved it. Three, when you do get detention, we'll make sure we do too."

I laugh as the other two agree whole heartedly and stand, "You guys have to be the weirdest high schoolers ever to walk this earth if you actually like getting detention."

Turns out, I Mr. Brown did want to give me detention. Which is cool because soon as the guys found out they made a mess of his office while he was in a meeting. They got detention.

After school I head to what I call the dungeon which is the jail-like room detention is held in. And curse under my breath as I see a note on the door written by the guys saying they were found out and given a different day for detention. I sigh and head on in.

I laugh because it seems like the guys just can't not have the last laugh. They had stacked all the chairs in the room into one stack and put a note on top that told me that this detention hour there wouldn't be a teacher to give a lecture. I smile and silently thank them.

I climb on top of the stack and look out the one window which my newly elevated seat allows me to look through. I lose myself again to my thoughts.

I jump a bit when I hear the door open unexpectedly, and look to see who it is.

Josh looks at me after examining the room, much as I had my first time in here. I say nothing as I stare. He stares back, true to my claim I win the staring contest without even needing to blink.

He looks away and shifts uncomfortably, "Guess its just us for now huh?" I say nothing and stare.

"Okay so maybe you did die first day after all. Sorry." He winces as though the word really hurt to say.

I smile, "See that wasn't too hard was it?"

I'm reminded painfully of Blake as he glares at me. Blake also had trouble with such things.

I laugh a bit then wave him over, indicating for him to take a seat.

I wave dramatically around the room "Welcome to the dungeon. I'm in here for beating up some guy who completely deserved it. What are you in here for?"

He smirks a little and instead of answering my question asks something else, "The Dungeon? Really? What are we in the 1500's?"

I respond with a mock serious expression, "Well at least then 'please, thank you, excuse me, and your welcome' were still polite. In this day and age it seems more like 'Move you fat butt or else'."

I actually get a little bark of laughter on that one.

I smile and look at him, he smiles back and gives a mock bow, "In that case. Madam I must demand that you move your supremely fat behind off of the stack of chairs."

I laugh and hop off the stack taking the top because it was already warm and wait for him to take the next. Once he does I put mine back on and hop back up.

He laughs. I look down at him and he smiles.

"Somehow I saw you as a girl who hates heights, I guess I was wrong." He shrugs and turns away.

"Okay I gotta say a few things. One, this is the most friendly you've been to me since I got here. Two, I actually hate heights but if you think of it I'm not actually high up. I'm actually underground, right? Three, Well – I forgot number three but still."

I look at him and he laughs and turns away. I shrug and we pass the hour until the bell with random conversation. When we leave he stops me outside, "Where did you learn that stuff?

"Huh?"

"That fighting, it was so fast and precise and I know you were holding back. Where did you learn that stuff?" He looks like he _really _wants to know. He looks almost desperate.

I smile sadly, "From a friend. A long time ago."

Which is true. Almost three hundred years ago. My teacher was Blake's father.


	8. Return of the Past Unwanted

_**Author: Italics are flashback normal is normal time. Just wanted to make sure it didn't get too confusing.**_

I stand stock still in my clearing. If anyone were to see me they would have thought I was waiting for something.

I'm not though. I'm watching something from the past. Something that Josh had unlocked. It was killing me.

Why hadn't I realized before? Why only now when it is too late?

* * *

><p>"<em>Valla! Move faster! Why are you slowing down!? Watch out for the things you can't see! You should feel it not see it! Move faster than your opponent! Strike before they can! <em>

_Wolf! Vampire! Quickly! Don't slow down it should be fluid! It should be swift! You are destined for great things! Don't ruin them by dying!"_

* * *

><p>I had been young. No more than seven and he had put me through rigorous training.<p>

How had I have known him when I was seven when I met him when I was One hundred and ninety-five?

How had he been alive and the same age?

* * *

><p><em>He charged me. Punched me as he went by. Attacked left and right before I could respond.<em>

"_Come on girl! I'm only one of the two things you are and you can't even beat me?! A poor legend you are!"_

_He attacked mercilessly. I felt something rise inside me. Something I had never felt before._

* * *

><p>I can't believe it. I can't remember any of this.<p>

How had he known me? What legend was he talking about. Why was he attacking me?

How had he known me seven years after my parents had presumably died?

Why can't I remember?

* * *

><p><em>He attacked me. He was in a frenzy. A frenzy only vampires can truly know when fighting. A frenzy that is set off by the smell of blood.<em>

_He didn't seem to notice that my small form was trembling. That I was no longer crying. _

_He didn't seem to realize that the sounds I was making were sounds of laughter in the throat of a monster._

_I stood up tall. My wounds inexplicably healed, and stared him in the eyes with a look to freeze even a vampires blood._

_I grinned, my face changed into that of the monster and lunged._

* * *

><p>I gasp. I had thought that the first transformation had happened when I was 91, not seven!<p>

Why did I have no memory of this ever having taken place? Why had Blake's father never mention it to me?

Why was everything blank?

* * *

><p><em>I landed on him, nothing but muscle slamming into him mid-attack.<em>

_He was knocked off his feet. I took the advantage and bit his neck savagely. As blood spurted into my face I let go and jumped away._

_He stood up, his pain and shock evident on his face. He turned and faced me._

_I took his advice and struck before my enemy._

_I tuned from beast to wolf to vampire then back again. The tides had turned. It was now him desperately trying to ward off my attacks. _

_He was trying to ward off certain death._

_The beast stopped the frenzy of attacks and stalked towards its prey. It raised its large hand and grinned the beastly, hideous, deathly grin and was about to strike its prey down._

"NO!"_ It stopped mid-swing and looked around trying to find the voice._

"No."_ It looked down at its prey – the man – and then up at its paw and then back. Then slowly backed away._

_It stared at Blake's father and spoke with its terrible voice._

"_I cannot yet kill you until SHE allows me. You have escaped me now, vampire, but a war is not won with one fight. She saved you. Remember that. You cause her pain once more and I will not suffer you to live." _

_The beast turned away and allowed my seven year old self to take control once more. I turned to him and smiled sadly._

"_Your free now. I saved you. It let you go. It says I won't remember this. It's all it wants in return. Thank you for training me."_

_And I walked away, with each step my memory growing dimmer and dimmer until it was hidden from me. Until now._

* * *

><p>I couldn't believe it. Why had this happened. It explained so much while leaving so much unanswered.<p>

Blake's father had had scars that he had always said he had received form a beast.

Blake had said the same about my attack. He had never mentioned the incident. He had never hurt me.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. On impulse I raised my arm and to my surprise felt it connect with something.

I opened my eyes and cried out.

"Shh! Shh! I'm not here to hurt you. I swear." Blake's father was standing right next to me.

I jumped into motion and landed ten feet away. He smiled a tad bit sadly and raised his hands in a sign of surrender.

"I'm not here to hurt you."

I stare at him, taking him in. I see now the scars that are left. I even see the scars my bite to the throat had left. Scars that shouldn't be left on a vampire whom can heal their own wounds.

"Why are you here? Why didn't you tell me anything!? Why didn't your wounds heal? I trusted you!"

I'm a little surprised by the last part of my outburst. I'm not sure why but for some reason it suddenly seems most important to me.

He smiles again and sits on the swing I had rebuilt.

"You remember now. That's good. How much?" He looks up at me quizzically.

"I remember the training and its attack. I remember it telling you it would hurt me if you ever hurt me again. I remember telling you thank you for the training. I remember telling you that I was going to forget everything. I remember blood and pain… and something about a legend."

I look at him and he sighs, "So it has not let go of all the secrets yet."

"What do you mean?"

He laughs and looks up at me.

"There is more than one instance with me that you have forgotten. I fear that if I were to tell you before it is ready for me to tell you it will finish what it began. I will tell you that any help you need I will give. You can trust me as you did before. I will never hurt you again. I promise."

I stare at him for a moment before tears well up in my eyes and I tackle him in a hug.

He hugs me back. I cry into his shoulder. I never knew how much I had wanted to see someone from the past until now.

He knew all my secrets plus some and I inexplicably trust him.

When I pull away I stare into his eyes, "I need you to tell me something. Did any one In your family know your secret?"

He smiles sadly and nods.

"And none of them hated you?"

"None."

"Did you tell anyone about me?"

He hesitates for a moment and then gives one small, tight nod.

"Who?"

He turns and looks at me and I know before he even says anything.

"Blake."

"He knew? How long?"

"Since he was eight."

"Do you think he was waiting for me to tell him?"

He looks at me and tears my heart to pieces as he says, "I think he still is. I think they all still are."

Every single one of the Harrison family was waiting for me to tell them. How could I tell them when I didn't even know myself?

I cry and he looks away, giving me some privacy to cry by myself.

When I look up and dry my tears he's gone. I smile and look up at the moon.

I decide that I'll tell them as soon as I myself know what I am.

I stand and run home.

I had school tomorrow.

The necklace burns as I pass the school and makes me pause.I look around and nearly scare myself to death when I bump into the secretary.

"Oh sorry! Im so sorry!" I back away raising my hands in a placating gesture.

She glares at me for a moment, "Go home. There is no reason for you to be out at this time of night. Go!"

I hurry home, puzzled by how the necklace had burned when I was around her and then cooled as soon as I was gone.

I shrug it off and set my alarm, walk up the wall, and go to sleep.


	9. What Happens When I Wake Up Early

I wake up before my alarm, turn it off, and walk into the bathroom. And scream.

Staring back at me from the broken mirror. Is the beast.

I turn away and reach up to feel my face, but all I feel is smooth skin. No fur, no snout, no fangs. I turn back to the mirror. The beast is still there.

I bypass putting on sunscreen or anything to do with the bathroom, relying on gum for morning breath, and hurry to school.

The guys see me coming and run over. Taj seems to notice my killing aura first.

"Uh Vall? You ok?"

I glare at the ground not slowing my quick, purposeful step, "Just get me out of the sun and away from mirrors and then I'll answer."

The guys glance at each other then hurry to block my petite frame from the sun. I flash them a quick smile and hurry into the school.

When we get inside the school I feel confident that I'm not steaming at the least. My next problem is high school girl mirrors. I'm not sure if anyone else will see what I saw this morning but I'm pretty sure I don't want to find out.

I go strait into study hour, asking the guys to grab my books and things for me. Inside I find myself with none other than Josh Harrison, descendant of my best friend.

He glances up at me and gives a small smile, "Hey."

I force one back, "What's up?"

He shrugs and pulls out a boom and begins reading. I go to my usual seat and sit down, really wishing that there had been another empty seat besides the one that was only one row away from the burning sun.

Taj came in with all my books and sat dawn next to me, trying to block out the sun with his big frame.

I turn to him and give him a tiny, pained smile and then turn away, blinded by the sun.

After a moment I make a decision and send my mind out to Taj;

"_I saw the beast."_

"What?!" he looked around, freaked out. Then stared at me for a moment before realizing we weren't the only two people in the room.

He shrugged and muttered something about being crazy.

I couldn't help but smirk.

"_I looked in the mirror and saw the beast. It wont go away."_

He glanced at me for a moment,

"_Its all right. We'll think of something. Don't worry."_

I close my eyes and before I know it I'm being shaken awake.

"Valla. Valla. Valla-rin! Wake up!"

I open my eyes to see multiple people staring down at me with worried expressions. I blink and sit up. My head feels like It had just been chewed up and spit out.

"Wh- What happened?"

Taj is crouching next to me and on the other side of me is Josh. Both wear identical worried expressions.

"My head. Its killing me." I try to stand up only to find my body completely not cooperating.

The two guys on either side see my struggle and move to help me to my feet. I barely notice the look of pure hatred that they shoot each other. Soon after I am carried slash dragged to the nurse's office.

I am in a haze. Nothing makes sense to me. Shaped are blurred and voices slurred. To my surprise my head clears shortly before lunch.

An hour before lunch. Which means that I have to go to class. Ugh why can't sickness do its job properly.

Answer? Probably because I am part vampire and shouldn't even be getting sick.

I go to History and realize that the teacher is the same as last night. My necklace seems to have the same reaction as last night too.

I sit and listen to class. Halfway through it turns into déjà vu.

I wake up to someone calling my name and tjen being escorted back to the nurses room. However that is where it ends.

I get the feeling that I have to act fast. I whirl around and allow the beast to take its form. The beast allows me to have control.

My teacher has turned into what looks like a angry landlady from hell.

Her hair is gone and replaced by fire, and her teeth have formed into razors. Her nails are three inch long daggers and in her hand is black fiery whip.

I break into motion. I charge and tackle her. While I have control of the body I am still partly controlled by animalistic urges.

Which means that have next to no control of my own strength. And sometimes none over myself.

We crash into the next classroom and begin our war. We fight room to room having no consideration for the building. She has a slight advantage of not seeming to care about the other students while I make an effort to avoid them.

She prepares to strike at me with her whip so I reach out and grab the first sizeable thing I can. Which happens to be a locker.

I rip it out of the wall and block her whip. I jump and twist, surprising her into making a hesitation before pulling back the whip.

I step on it and full out chuck the locker at her, hitting her full in the face.

She screeches and flies back from the force of the throw. I grab her whip and advance towards her.

She's laying on the cafeteria floor, bits and pieces of the wall and locker scattered all around, shaking her head trying to clear out the haziness.

I stand right before her and raise the whip slowly. Forcing her to watch.

I bring it down at an angle and watch sadistically as it wraps around her neck. I pull hard. And watch as she dies.

I blink and step away as she falls to the floor, dead. I try to ignore the fact that we are both covered in blood. I feel myself begin to change back into a human and hear a voice from the beast in my head.

"_You did what had to be done."_

And then it falls silent. I stagger and fall to my knees, sending out my mind.

"_Taj."_

"_Where are you!"_

"_Taj."_

I hear footsteps and shouting but none of it makes any sense to me. I close my eyes and allow myself to drift.

I feel myself being lifted and then lowered. I smell something…Amazing. I breathe deeply and realize that it is a familiar smell.

Something presses against my lips and I feel someone open my mouth.

Why the heck are they trying to feed an unconscious person pizza?

They force my mouth closed and eventually I realize why. The blood in the pizza sauce.

The guys must have brought me to the pizza parlor.

I force myself to chew and swallow. After they put some tube thingy up to my mouth when I open up they allow a spurt of blood to flow into my mouth.

My eyes pop open. I take the tube thing out and shake my head.

I hear a voice that sends my already reeling mind into oblivion.

"What? You're going to waste some perfectly good blood, odd for a vampire."

I feel my blood run cold as I turn and face… Josh. Taj is behind him looking furious. He sends me a look and I can tell he wants me to see what's on his mind. I reach out and take a look.

I see him strangling Josh until time after time and tell him to calm down with my mind he sighed and responded,

"_He insisted we take him, threatened us even. Normally we'd just kill any twerp who did that but… He's a Harrison. And he seems to have heard about _you_."_

I turn to face Josh, stare him right in the eyes.

"I'm no vampire."

"I know that. My question is; what are you?"

I look away and into one of the mirrors where I again see the reflection of the beast. I reach up to feel my face and again it is my smooth human skin.

"I'm a monster."


	10. Interview With a Harrison

Everyone is staring at me. I'm staring at my reflection. I realize that in the window I can see everyone's true forms.

More than a few are werewolves and from the looks a few are throwing at Josh and the slowly filling blood bag vampires.

I see a ghost that I wouldn't otherwise see and what appeared to be a changeling and then Josh. The _human_.

I turn to face Josh.

"I have no idea what I am."

He looked like he was about to say something then stopped and turned away.

I stood on shaky feet walked over and unhooked him from the blood bag.

I raised it up a little bringing it into attention, "I'll be taking this if you don't mind."

Josh just shrugged. I went out the backdoor and walked home.

Halfway home I became aware of someone following me. I smelled the air and relaxed.

"What are you guys doing here?"

I turn around and wait until Taj, Samuel and Ricky come out of hiding.

"Can I help you guys?"

Taj fixes his eyes on mine and spoke,

"We have decided that as your friends we want to know more about you."

I smile tiredly, "I already told you. I don't know what I am. I know that I have a few abilities that I can use when I want to, if that's what you're talking about."

"What kind?"

I sigh and sit down on a bench.

"Let's see, where do I begin? I guess we could start with the fact that I'm extremely old, four hundred forty-one to be exact. I have the ability to be telepathic, telekinetic and super strong when I am nourished.

I can turn full fledge vampire or werewolf and then turn into the beast! I look into any kind of reflective surface and I can see peoples' true forms. I have a necklace that I gave my friend that burns me sometimes! I have lapses in my memories that I can't recall!

I totally killed my history teacher, brutally maimed one of my only friends couple hundred years ago and almost killed my vampire teacher when I was seven, somehow leaving him brutally scarred! I don't know who or what I am! I don't know!"

The guys try to comfort me but really have no idea what to do when someone is crying. I end up talking to them for a long time before their dad calls them it only then really occurs to me that they are siblings.

I smile and say goodbye, and walk off.

I stop again not long after,

"Don't you need to be getting back home?"

I can't hide the stuffiness of my voice. It's a clear give-away that I had been crying.

Josh speaks,

"I have a few questions I need answered. You're the only one who can answer them."

I give a humorless laugh,

"Not sure how much help I'll be. You heard me earlier, I don't remember a lot of things."

"It all right. These should be things that you should know."

I sigh,

"Hit me."

"Who was your teacher?"

"His name was William."

"His family name?"

"…Harrison."

"How old were you?"

"Seven."

"Your friend whom you brutally maimed?"

"Blake… Harrison."

"How old were you?"

"One hundred ninety-eight."

"The family that took you in?"

"While I don't know how you know that…Harrison."

"How old were you?"

"I don't remember anything until my third year in which I was already in the care of your family."

"Did you kill the teacher?"

I closed my eyes, "Yes."

"What is the necklace?"

"A howling wolf."

"What is its importance?"

"It was my last gift to my last friend."

" Who? Why?"

"Blake. For an apology."

"For what?"

"For almost allowing the beast to kill him."

I feel tears running down my face.

"Are you… Are you gonna kill me? Cause if you are I dont blame you. I would wasn't to kill me too."

"No I'm not going to kill you."

I turn to face him and found him a lot closer than I had thought.

I fact we were almost nose to nose. I can feel his breath on my skin. He's staring right into my eyes.

"Final question: What is your relationship with the gorgons?"

"We're friends."

He smiles and begins to lean in. I pull away,

"Wha-at are you doing?"

He pulls back and looks at me like I'm crazy,

"I'm kissing you."

"Yeah, I get that part. _Why?"_

"Be-cause I like you?"

I stare/glare at him with my arms crossed while he stares at me with a face that is telling me that he isn't completely sure why he just tried to kiss me but I was way overreacting.

"Is that a question or a statement?"

"I like you."

"We barely know each other."

"We can get to know each other."

"Friends. After we are friends and we know each other well enough to like each other than we'll think about" – I make a vague gesture of his face - "_That_."

He laughs and pulls away, "Okay. Okay. I get it friends first."

He turns and starts to walk away until something seems to occur to him he turns back to me,

"Uh.. as a friend I must request that we act like this never happened. Please?" I nod and he walks away.

I smile and go home. I'm opening my door when it occurs to me that he could have just been trying to comfort me knowing id have some funny reaction that he could use to make me relax.

If that had been his intention it had both worked and slightly backfired.

I was now less worried about the teacher monster incident and more concerned with staying out of kissing range of the guy.

I laugh and go upstairs to my room. On the way there I stop and open the bathroom door allowing a raccoon to escape from its short term prison. I look in the mirror at my beast reflection.

"Thank you."

Is it just me or did my reflection just cock its head?

I went with it. It looked like my reflection just asked me what I was thanking it for.

"For giving me the warning and allowing me to be in control – mostly."

The beast nods. I turn and walk out, freaked out by the episode.

I walk up the wall and go to sleep.

* * *

><p>I curse myself in the morning. My alarm says ten fifty-three.<p>

Wayy past time for school. I am so late. I drop to the ground and hurry with my getting ready for the day.

Then I punch myself. It's a Saturday.

I go outside and go for a nice long walk where I spout profanity at my stupidity.

I hear rustling in the bushes and I silence my dirty talking.

I see four wolves come out of the bushes only a few paces from where I am. One of them looks around while the others either look to him or sniff the ground.

The looker looks into my hideout and growls. My necklace begins to burn.

I burst out of my hideout before even I know what I doing and have quickly dispatched the looker and have another by the throat in my hand.

I notice with some interest that I did this without the intention of doing so and I am in the form of the beast.

I close my eyes long enough for the beast to kill the wolf and then turn to the remaining two. They are fighting each other. One is obviously losing.

She looks like she had been wounded before the fighting had even began. She also seems strangely familiar.

I take control of the beast and take both by their scruffs, pulling them apart.

I look at the strangely familiar one and my necklace cools, I loom to the other and it burns. I bang his head on a tree with minimal force, knocking him out effectively.

I take both into my house and tend to them both.

When they both turn back into humans I know that they were in fact werewolves, and that I was right to have not trusted the male.

He has a tattoo on his left shoulder that is the emblem of a notorious human killing monster gang. They sometimes even went so far as to kill their own kind for protecting or having anything to do with humans.

Last I had heard they had been in Las Vegas. What were they doing here?

I tie him up and go outside to dispose of his friends, all of whom bear the same tattoo.

When I go back in the woman is awake – she had fainted shortly after I had knocked the other guy out – and scared.

I hold my hands up in an a gesture to show that I wont hurt her. She gapes at me for a moment than drops to the floor.

_"My lady! Your alive! My lady!"_

I stare at the wounded woman who had just fallen to the floor calling me her lady and searched my mind for what the heck she was talking about.

"Huh?"


	11. I Get Two New Pets

I snap into motion and coherent thought.

What kind of person would allow an injured woman to be on the floor?

I hurry to her side and pick her up carefully lowering her onto the bed. She blinks up at me with unbelieving eyes.

_Apparently_ she didn't expect her _lady _to do something like _this _for _her_. She begins to cry and call me a multitude of names and title. Some I've heard before other that are new to me all of which are too kind to be me.

"Hey, ma'am, please? Just call me Vallarin."

She looks at me and smiles through her tears and nods.

"Now you don't have to do it now you can wait until your better but how did you end up with those three men? Why do you call me your lady?"

Her smile turns sad and she just nods slowly. I stand, check her bandages, check the other guy, and leave the room.

I walk calmly so as not to alert the woman, knowing that to her canine senses any telltale sign of nervousness would put her on edge, and walk into the bathroom.

I look into the mirror and see the beast staring back.

"Do you have anything to do with this?"

The beast stares at me and then shakes its head.

"Do you know what it is about?"

It nods.

"Can you tell me?"

It shakes its head.

Shoulda known better.

I take care of the woman for the next couple days until Monday.

Seems I may have hit the guy upside the head harder than I had intended because he still hasn't woke up.

I come into the room to the lady and give her a large metal pipe. "If he wakes up and tries to give you grief, hit 'em in the head. I'll be back in a couple of hours I gotta go to school.

I have protective wards on the house so no one from the gang can come in and all humans will see is a rundown house. Which is what it is. Your safe here ok?"

She nods. Since the whole 'my lady' thing she hasn't spoken a word.

I nod and go to school. The janitor lets me in.

I go in and plop into my seat. Ready for my hectic life to end already. Only to realize it may not take all that long for it to come true.

Om impulse I lean as far back as I can in my chair only to watch as a knife goes flying past my head.

I turn to the door and find none other than the janitor. I groan and dodge his next knife.

The beast comes and grabs the next flying knife and throws it back. It catches him in the leg and pins him to the wall.

The beast grabs him by his throat and holds him above our head.

I speak exclusively to the beast.

"_Wait! The necklace isn't burning! I think we can trust him!"_

The beast growls and lowers him to the ground.

"Why did you attack her?" I blink at its question. 'Attack her'? Didn't he also attack it while attacking me?

The janitor seems unphased by the prospect of possibly dying. Instead he seems more worried about something else.

"Where is my wife?!"

I allow myself to turn back into a human.

"Huh? Who's your wife? Why would I have anything to do with her?"

"You know perfectly well whom I'm talking about!"

I glance at the window behind me and realize that he is a werewolf. An idea occurs to me.

I release him and pull away.

"Saturday I was attacked by four werewolves. One was a wounded female. I killed two left her and another alive. If she's your wife then come with me. There is something you should know."

I turn and walk away we both sign out saying that we were unable to come to school due to not feeling well or family business.

I take him down the long path that leads to house and take him to the front door. I stop him there.

"Couple things you should know. One, she hasn't said a word in two days. Two, I gave her a pipe for if she felt for some reason threatened.

Three, She seems prone to calling me my lady. Four she is wounded.

Five, and most important. She's pregnant, I don't think she knows."

I watch as his face lights up with joy and his eyes fill with tears.

I smile a bit and indicate the door,

"You ready to go in? Try not to surprise her to much."

I open the door and allow him in.

He glances at me and walks inside, unsure of where to go.

"She's up the stairs to the right."

He looks at me and grins then turns and bolts up the stairs.

I go to the bathroom and grab the other guy and carry him outside.

"Might be safest for you if I keep you out of the house for now."

I laugh to myself and allow the two werewolves some time alone.

I look

Up at the sky and breathe in. I smell the scent of werewolves and dried blood. I smell the scent of metal.

I look down at the werewolf and see him staring, wide eyed at something to the left.

I turn and feel my blood run cold.

To the left is a being of which I have never seen before. It looked like someone had taken pieces of flesh and armor and slapped them together.

It charged at me.

I dodged and tried to make my own attack but my beast claws could even scratch it.

I tried going for everywhere that was just flesh. It couldn't speak or make noise so I couldn't tell if I was actually doing anything when I bit and scratched its arm but I could make noise when it grabbed my ear and pulled.

I forced myself to be silent and scratched at his hand until it finally let go. I attacked his flesh so much that soon some of it could no longer move.

It still found ways to attack me. It tackled me and almost caused me to yelp but I held it in. So far the couple upstairs had no idea that I was even fighting.

I grabbed the werewolf, who had found a piece of fallen metal and cut himself free and was now getting ready to attack me, and chucked him at the golem.

He hit it right in the chest. I was glad I had gagged the guy Saturday.

I charged and tackled the thing and began to just pound it, putting every last bit of supernatural strength into the pounding and watched with satisfaction as it began to crumple under my fists.

It finally stopped moving after its face and chest were flattened.

I slid off the thing, turning back into a human and fell to the ground breathing heavily and looked up at the window where the two werewolves were only just realizing that something had been going on outside.

I looked at them and gave them a thumbs up.

Then I winced as the pain began registering.

I felt like me ribs and shoulder were on fire and that my right ear was going to fall off. I reached up and touched it gingerly.

It was bleeding but it was still there.

I go and check up on the other werewolf only to find that the golem had landed on top of him and killed him.

I go into the house. Mondays. Why does there have to be Mondays?

I head to the bathroom and decide to call it the mirror room instead.

I look into the mirror and look at myself. I am covered in blood and oil. My ear is bright red and I look human.

I blink my eyes and see the beast in the mirror.

Its ear is bleeding and has a new notch. It too is covered in blood and looks quite angry.

I smile a little.

"I'll let you fight next time if you promise not to kill anyone my necklace says could be good.

It looks at me for a moment then nods.

I turn and walk out. The two werewolves nearly give me a heart attack.

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"Letting us stay in your home."

I look at them and realize that I just earned myself to werewolf pets.

They were the type were you save them, do them a favor, let them stay a short while in your house and then couldn't shake.

I sigh.

"No problem. Make yourself at home."

They grinned and, to my surprise, hugged me.

"Thank you. We'll make sure you don't regret it. Tell as to do anything and it will be done."

I laugh at their sudden puppy behavior, "Just call me Vallarin. No 'my lady' or anything like that ok? You guys are free to do anything you want here."

I smile and go to my room. I lay down in my bed and go to sleep.


	12. I Get Made Fun Of

I wake up wondering why the heck I chose to sleep on the bed.

That thing hadn't been slept in for years.

I open my eyes and automatically know something is wrong.

Why aren't there footprints on the wall and ceiling? Why isn't my room layered in dust? When did my clothes get folded?

I bolt up into a sitting position and look around.

I relax slightly when I see the janitor and his wife. Sitting. In my room. Looking at me. Grinning.

Needless to say I'm a little freaked out. My ribs are still a little sore and my ear only feels like someone slammed it against a wall with a hammer.

Janitor guy laughs a bit as he sees my discomfort,

"It's all right. We're not going to hurt you."

I pointed at him maybe a little bit accusingly,

"You threw knives at me."

His wife turned and glared at him. He winced,

"That was a misunderstanding."

I let it pass and instead turn to the wife,

"Are you aware of the child?"

Janitor cut in,

"She can't speak. Well, only on rare occasions. Sorry. And yes I told her."

I nod, pleased. He cleared his throat.

"How did you know?"

I look at him puzzled. Then sigh as I realize just how I had known.

"The beast knew. I felt three instead of two. It sensed that you were - ya know – pregnant."

He nods and for the next hour and a half I am swept up in endless, senseless talk.

Something suddenly occurs to me.

"What time is it?"

He checked his watch.

"5:15. Why?"

I was on my feet before he could finish.

"I'm gonna be late for school!"

I hear him curse and begin rummaging around and stick my head back in the room.

"Did you guys clean up in here?"

They nod. I nod a couple of times.

"Sir you stay here with your wife. They can find a new janitor. I have everything you need for a new family .Trust me."

I leave as they begin to gape at me.

When I get to school It is in just the nick of time.

I go into my study hour and everyone attacks me with questions.

Apparently some word got around that I had been a huge witness to the fight last week.

I look around for some help, not being a huge fan of crowds. I see Taj and Josh both smirking at me and glare at them.

I eventually get to sit down and as soon as I do Taj and Josh turn to me and speak at the same time,

"Where were you yesterday?"

I smirk as they both glare at other for having dared spoken when the other had. When they turn their looks back at me I quietly tell them through our minds the events of the day before – More or less – leaving out some details.

After I finish they are both staring at me as if wondering how I am even still alive.

"How are you even still alive?" Leave it to Taj to speak my thoughts for me.

I smile,

"As much as I hate to admit it I think I have the beast to thank for a lot of it."

They both look sympathetic.

For some reason that makes me angry.

I close my eyes and lean back in my chair. Then jerk upright with a quiet groan.

The guys look at me, worried.

"What?"

I look at Josh who had just spoken.

"My necklace just heated up."

The guys give each other looks that are suddenly not filled with malice for each other but rather looking like they would kill each and every thing that lit up my necklace.

I don't doubt that they would. I realize that lately it appears that I am able to read Taj's eyes through the sunglasses he always wears.

Must be a friend thing.

The two guys look plain murderous. I smile as I realize via unprotected thought that they had thoughts of defending me.

Guy thing. Never believe in the strength of a woman. I hide my smile as the guys look back at me.

I look at the guys seriously,

"Try not to get in trouble guys. We don't know who or what made it burn so just watch out. OK?"

They nod. The bell rings and we go to our next class. History we have a new teacher. He seems to be a nervous wreck.

I don't like him yet can't help but feel sorry for him, after all our last history teacher was attacked by a monster.

When lunch comes around I'm famished by his nervousness.

Let me tell you there is nothing like a nervous teacher to make you hungry.

Josh notices my uneasiness and asks me to walk with him. Je takes me to the back of the school and pulls down the collar of his shirt, exposing the pulsing artery at his neck.

"What are you doing?" I hate myself for suddenly practically drooling.

He looks at me like I'm a retard,

"Do I have to explain everything to you? Your hungry right? Im a healthy, warm, living blood bag. Take a drank."

I gape at him. Then snap my mouth closed.

"Cant. No Nuh –uh. Nope. Nadda."

"Why not?"

I turn to him almost panicking with my embarrassment.

"Do you even know what that means in the monster world? Drinking from people?!"

"No."

"ugh! Of course you don't!"

I sigh and begin pacing.

"It's a very intimate thing in the monster world. Its basically a promise to be forever faithfull. It- Its like the monster version of an 'I love you' except more intimate. I mean your taking the life blood from someone!"

I turn to him and shrug

"Now do you get it?"

He looks thoughtful, and then something strikes him,

"You've already drank my blood though. At the parlor."

"Yes well that was indirect. Its something different when you have your mouth on someone with your teeth in side them and your drinking their blood."

He grins devilishly,

"First no kiss and now no blood. Your panicking at the thought and hated the idea. Don't tell me that you're a novice at love after four hundred plus years!"

I glare at him. Hit me where it hurts why don't ya?

He laughs.

"You have got to be kidding me! You have never either kissed or been kissed? You?!"

If looks could kill…

"Not that I remember. No."

He laughs again and I turn and start to walk off, truly annoyed.

He doesn't even try to stop me.

Taj and the other guys are talking amongst themselves and I join them.

I ask them something that had been bugging me for a while.

"You guys have been raised with monsters, right? Have you ever heard of some weird prophecy or legend?"

They look at me thoughtfully,

"No."

I sigh,

"Thanks anyways."

Ricky looks at me, concerned,

"Why do you ask?"

"I ran into someone from a long time ago and it brought back some memories I didn't even think I had. In the memory he mentions something about a legend. I asked him about it and he told me he'd tell me when it was time. I don't know when that will be."

Samuel looks at me,

"Do you trust him?"

"Well, yeah. I do."

"Then trust him to tell you when its time."

I sigh and smile at them.

"I guess your right."

They smile. The bell rings and we go to our classes.

At the end of the day to my surprise I see Josh and the guys laughing together.

My suspicion is at its highest point when I see Taj double over from laughter.

I go over.

"Hey what's up?"

The guys look at me and I can tell they are trying to keep from laughing. I frown. Why was Josh as red as a tomato?

I look at each of the guys individually and come to the conclusion that everyone seems a bit red. And get redder every time I look at them.

"Are you guys sick or something?"

Ricky bust a circuit in his head or something cause he suddenly bursts into uncontrollable giggles.

I look at the others and they all bust their guts laughing.

I glare at them all as I hear Ricky wheezing almost unrecognizable words.

"…Never…Four hundred… Kiss…"

I get the rough version.

I shove the doubled over wheezing Ricky hard enough that he falls over and march away leaving the others to laugh at my back.

I don't turn around. I don't want to let them see my face. Its red enough as it is.

I get home and stop in my tracks.

_What happened?_

My house looks _new_-ish. I see the two werewolves painting. I use vampiric speed to take the paint from mama wolf and ask her to go make dinner.

She grins and hurries in.

Janitor comes over and whispers in my ear.

"Our names are Janile and Victen. Didn't think you knew."

I nod at him. Thankful.

At least now I can stop referring to them as janitor and mama wolf.

I tell him to take a break and go to my clearing.

"WILLIAM!"

I shout with all my might and wait for him to come.

"Yes?"

I whirl around and face him.

"You told me that if I ever needed you to do me a favor you'd do it for me right? I need you to help me find a monster."

He looks at me and I can almost feel the anticipation for a hunt coming off of him.

"I'm listening…"


	13. We Go Hunting

"What is taking him so long?!"

I pace along the length of my room, up the walls across the ceiling and down the walls and back again. My necklace had left an actual burn mark on my chest today at school.

After I had told William that we were going to hunt for the beast he had told me to go about my day normally and had sped away. He still hadn't come back.

I pop my neck, a nervous habit of mine and feel two small, slender hands touch my neck. I glance behind me to see who it is and see Janile smiling at me. I turn back around and stand still, slowly relaxing as she massages my neck.

The beast alerts me a short time later that someone is coming.

I break away from Janile and rush down stairs and outside.

William stands with a large chest beside him.

"What took you so long?"

He looks at me coolly,

"It was a bit more difficult to find then I remembered."

I glare at him then gesture to the chest,

"What is it?"

"This is yours from a long time ago. Originally only for… dire need."

Comforting.

"What's in it?"

He smiles, leans down and opens it.

Inside is what I can only describe as… armor. I shoot Will a look, hoping for an explanation.

Nadda.

"You want me to put this on?"

He nods. I sigh and carry the chest inside.

I take it to the mirror room and change quickly finding that, strangely enough, I know exactly how to put it on.

Its black with gold inlays and slightly spiky in some parts. Like at the neck as if to ward off biting. It comes with a helmet which is modeled to look roughly like a wolf's head.

My hands are gloved at the first knuckle of every finger where the finger begins is a blade that curls up and toward my fingers.

My boots, I somehow know, have blades on the bottom that will pop out if I intend them to. On my chest and shoulders is the emblem of what looks like the beast standing on a cliff with the moon behind it.

I walk out and William smiles tightly.

"Good you still remember. Let's go."

He too is wearing armor. Only less cool looking. His is made of leather while mine is made of magically hardened obsidian. I somehow know that my armor is as tough as diamond.

I also know that some monsters can break diamond like twigs in a dry season.

"Let's get hunting."

We use our supernatural speed to go – well, I'm not sure where I'm just following William.

William stops at the monster pizza parlor and walks in. Every monster inside stands quickly and gets out of our way. I'm sniffing, having thought I caught a faint smell of the monster earlier today at school.

Nothing. William looks at me and I shake my head.

We stalk around the place. We're about to leave when I feel a slight warmth from the necklace.

There is someone evil around. I whirl around and face the room. Not even knowing that I am now the beast.

I/ beast stalk around the room, perfectly silent. I hear a slight '_tap tap tap'_ and face the wall. Reach out and without even disturbing the wall watch as my hand slips through.

I growl and make a wild grab for what had made the sound behind the magic illusion. I catch a bit of cloth in my claws and snarl.

I follow the sound of the taps and finally catch up to the thing as it seems to take a breather, thinking it had lost me. I smash the wall and grab it.

I barely even bother with telling the beast not to kill it. Even it seems to know when it's good to take a hostage.

William comes over to me and shakes his head, half wistful half amazed.

"Congratulations you just caught yourself a sprite. Mainly hired or used for spying and assassins. I think someone – and not just this little speed demon – is trying to kill you. Again."

A sprite. Haven't seen one of these before. I look at it and see a blurry figure struggling in my hands. I remember one thing I had heard before about sprites.

They move so fast that it is sometimes almost impossible to see them much less stop them when they try to kill you.

I make a fist with my other hand and give it nice hard knock in the general blurry area of the head.

It seems to do the trick. In my hand is what appears to be a knee high, lanky, blue, pointy midget.

His nose is long and pointed and he has tall pointed ears. Would be cute if the little freak hadn't been hired to either kill me or spy on me.

I reach to my right and grab some werewolf's water and dump it on the sprite's head.

"Wake up."

It jerks in my hand and tries to pull away. I tighten my already tight grip and stare him in the eyes.

"Listen here Buddy your gonna tell me who hired you. Now. Otherwise I'll squeeze you to death got it?"

The poor little guy looks ready to cry. Sadly the beast has most of the control right now. Not that I would have been much gentler.

"P-p-p-p-please! I-I-I-I w-was just d-doing my job! P-p-p-p-please don't eat me!"

Both the beast and I blink. How the heck did he get the idea we'd eat him?

The little guy is shaking so bad you can see it. Beast sighs in my head

"_I can't handle this twerp do something to make it talk and I won't kill him… Yet."_

The beast gave me full control. That had never happened before. Had it?

"I'm not going to eat you. Just tell me who hired you and why."

The little guy was sobbing but finally managed to speak.

"Y-y-you're not g-g-going to e-e-eat me?"

"Nope. It's okay. Just tell me."

HE looked at me with huge watery eyes.

"I was hired by Elbein Plakias."

Something stirs inside me and I feel the beast's surprise and the faint thought it forgot to hide from me,

"_He's supposed to be dead. She killed him."_

My voice shakes as I speak again,

"Can I trust you not to run away?" I only ask because in the short time I had been in the company of the sprite I had felt the necklace cool down. I felt that I could trust him. His enthusiastic nods strengthened my thinking. I put him on the table and walked outside.

William hurries up to me.

"This Elbein, do you know him?"

"I don't know" – I felt the beast's uneasiness and stated what may have been the scariest thing all night – "but I think I killed him."

William watches me for a moment then we both freeze and stare at something down the road.

Hanging from the streetlight, halfway down the road was the new history teacher.

"Oh no."

I run over and knock over the streetlight, catching the man as he falls.

I lay him on the sidewalk and turn to William

"Let's go."

I see clearly my reflection in his surprised eyes. For mine are ruby red. And I am human. A combo I don't ever remember having happened before.

I look to the teacher and breathe deeply and get the most unnaturally faint scent. Just the ghost of a scent.

The beast stirs. I feel, suddenly, like my head is about to explode.

I fall to my knees clutching my head.

That's when the beast lets the memories return.


	14. Not Even Possible

_Author: Italics are memories normal is normal time. Hope you like it._

_I look around expectantly. I'm expecting someone to come and meet with me. I'm wearing my hand-crafted armor – a gift from a well known blacksmith for having saved his daughter. It's comfortable and will shift to the form of Dalibor when we changed._

_He was _not _looking forward to the meeting. I shift, his uneasiness making me uneasy. I turn as he senses something coming. We both relax._

_I grin at my friend who walks out of the shadows._

"_Dalibor was beginning to fear they wouldn't send you. He was afraid we would have to go and find you ourselves. Why were you late?"_

_He laughs,_

"_Well, you tell Dalibor…" – he looks up at me and I see the pain in his eyes – "He was right to worry."_

* * *

><p>I clutched my head. It felt like it was being torn In two from the inside. Like something was trying to escape.<p>

* * *

><p><em>I run to his side. <em>

"_Elbein! What has happened!?"_

_I look at him, barely on his feet and see the wound._

_It is small and does not worry me overmuch._

_I grab his shoulder hard and look him in the eyes._

"_Who did this? Tell me!"_

_He looks into my eyes,_

"_You don't want to know."_

_I feel Dalibor take form and his voice speak out,_

"_Oh, she might not. But I do. Tell me who did this."_

_Elbein looks at us and shakes his head._

"_You will regret having me tell you. The one who got me was none other than Teklovin."_

_I feel my heart shrivel and freeze, _

"_Teklovin? Why?"_

_Elbein only shakes his head._

_Dalibor picks him up and a short while later we arrive at the village below our meeting place._

_We place him under the care of the local healer and race off to the woods._

I scream yet no sound comes out. I feel like I'm dying a thousand deaths.

_Dalibor and I speak with our minds. Neither of us is in actual control of our body, resting as it is,_

"Dalibor? What are you planning? You never have those walls up unless you're trying to protect me. Those plans never go exactly as planned unless we can agree on the plan. You know this!"

_I hear his voice it sounds sad and warm and caring. He is very worried._

"I could take full control. Block you out during the fight. You'd never know what happened. You wouldn't have to be troubled. I could protect you."

_I laughed,_

"And what being in its right mind would ever want that to happen?! I am happy the way we are. Equals. That is what we are. We could die a thousand deaths and this will never truly die. We've had this conversation before."

"But I could keep you from ever having to deal with pain again! From guilt! You wouldn't have to worry!"

_I smile exclusively for him,_

"But you would. You wouldn't have me there to make the pain and guilt lighter. You'd take it all upon yourself. You'd never be able to live with it. I'm here to make sure you don't have to."

_I feel him slowly begin to calm down. I ask tentatively,_

"Now what are you planning?"

_He waits a moment,_

"We go for a hunt."

* * *

><p>This time my scream rings out loud and clear. My skull feels like someone, one by one, is pulling at my nerves. It hurts.<p>

* * *

><p><em>I stand at attention at the gates. The guards know me by sight and begin to let me in when a voice stops them.<em>

"_STOP! WHAT IN THE KING'S NAME ARE YOU DOING!?" – A man came rushing gout of the guard's tower. If he's a guard he need to get back to the training field and lose weight – "Who told you to let this-this _thing_ in?!"_

_Dalibor begins to try to take over but I calm him. A sudden transformation certainly isn't going to help our case. _

_I speak coolly, coldly. Neither Dalibor nor I take kindly to insults._

"_This – Ah – _thing _,as you so eloquently called me, has in its possession a name."_

_The man glares at me for a moment then speak in the pompous fashion that usually causes me to make men - and women – fall from their horses._

"_Well!? What is it then?!"_

_The guards look ready to save him a great embarrassment, opening their mouths to do so. I make a sharp gesture to stop them. This man insulted me, he deserved embarrassment._

"_My name is Vallarin Tesla Zatov. Protégée of Lord Harrison. I suggest you move… to the stables. Tell the boys there they are relieved of their duties for the day, they can have a nice warm meal with their families. You will be so kind as to take their jobs. Cleaning the stables."_

_I walk on past stopping at one guard and telling him to be sure to make sure the pompous fool did his job correctly. While also feeling free to add a bit to his workload._

_He grinned and promised that it would be done._

_I left, confident that it would._

_Dalibor speaks to me in my mind. He sound almost… impressed._

"You knew there was a new guardsmaster. You've been giving the stable boys days off for days, waiting for just this moment haven't you?"

_I grin and leave the question unanswered._

_I go to the main hall where I meet Lord Harrison. He speaks first,_

"_Valla! Back at last! How long will you be staying this time?"_

_I step into his open arms and allow myself to be hugged before speaking,_

"_Not long I'm afraid. A friend of mine… well we've run into a bit of trouble. I shall be back in a few days time. I promise."_

_Lord Harrison leaned back and clutched his heart,_

"_Valla! You cannot do this to me! I wait for days – weeks – without word worrying for your safety and you come walking in. Saying you'll be back in a few day time! You'll get my hopes up girl!"_

_I laugh and hug him tightly._

"_I'll be home before three moons pass. I promise."_

_He sighs and lets me go,_

"_Then I suppose that there is nothing for it. A few days time."_

_I smile at him then turn and leave._

_I never heard him whisper to himself,_

"_I pray that your journey be safe."_

* * *

><p>I can't feel the real world anymore. All that exists is pain.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Dalibor and I rush out of the castle stopping only to say our farewells to the guard who seems to be enjoying himself.<em>

"_You come home soon this time all right. It's quiet and dreary here without you two to make it lively."_

_We promised we would._

_Dalibor and I raced across the countryside. We had a _friend _we had to visit._

_Teklovin didn't answer the first or second knock so we knocked down the door._

_Inside we found a few people we had never wanted to see on the ground. On the floor lay two dear friends of ours. One was Kleive and the other was Rether._

_They were harpies. And dear friends._

_We searched the house and found the backdoor wide open. Fresh tracks right outside._

_I let Dalibor do the tracking._

_We finally find Tek at our old childhood meeting place. He turns to me and grins. His fangs shine in the moonlight._

"_Finally, I was wondering how long it would take you to learn that it was me. Tell me did the human friend tell you it was me?"_

_He looks gleeful. I want to beat him to a pulp. Dalibor wants to kill._

"_Tell me have you learned that he is dying? He a tough one I'll give him that but the poison spreads faster the more you move. He walked all. The. Way. There. Ha ha! Isn't that amazing!? I had forgotten how strong humans could be!"  
>The truth dawns on me. The reason he had been so weak from such a small wound. Poison.<em>

"_Aww don't tell me you're surprised! It's not like he's the first to die a slow and painful death, remember Valla? How I got like this? A monster?"_

"_I gave you the form. You made the monster. Not me!"_

"_Oh well not all of us were born with a living conscience. Now were we?"_

_Dalibor turns and attacks._

* * *

><p><em>I was about to lose consciousness. I felt like I was about to die.<em>

* * *

><p><em>The fight lasts for days. Both of us are severely wounded. Bleeding from multiple wounds. Covered in blood and growing tired.<em>

_I make one last desperate attack that not even Dalibor had been prepared for. I had seen a flaw in Tak's fighting technique. All it would take was…_

_I lunged forward and felt a sharp pain but pushed it aside, instead watching the squirming vampire in my giant clawed hand. I bit off his head and threw the body, spitting out the head and falling to the ground._

_As I fell I allowed us to turn back into our human form. My hand drifting to the dagger in my gut._

_I crawled over to Teklovin and began to check his pockets. I found the antidote to the poison. And smiled sadly as I realized something. I completely shut Dalibor out. I couldn't let him know. He'd force me to take it._

_There was only enough for one person._

_I used my supernatural speed to get to the healer's house. It was late at night and everyone was asleep._

_I came in without a sound and went up to Elbein. I took out the antidote and poured it down his throat._

_Nothing. I cried. The foolish genius Teklovin had made a poison and thought he had an antidote, when, in truth he didn't._

_I looked to Elbein and did the last thing I knew to do. He had had so much he had said he wanted to do. I couldn't just not let him live the rest of his life._

_I took his head in my hands and closed my eyes. I searched deep within me and gave him power. I left before I could see his transformation._

_I went to the castle. I had to say sorry. I had to make right with my loved ones here. I had to say good bye._

_I hear a quiet voice in my head._

"It's too late. You should have taken it. Even if it didn't work at least then you could say you tried to stop your death. Why? Why did this happen?"

_I smiled sadly,_

"I'm sorry Dalibor. I couldn't make it. Look like we have to restart. I'm sorry it happened again. Good-bye."

_I felt sadness well up inside me and knew it was his._

"Good-bye for now. I'll wake you when its time."

_Then all went dark._

* * *

><p>I fell limp, William was right beside me. He was holding me tight and trying to calm me. I had <em>felt<em> myself die.

How had any of that have been true?

None of it was even possible.


	15. Elbein Beast

I cant make my muscles work. I am numb. I can only sit on the sidewalk, waiting for the pain to go away. I felt myself die.

I had felt the poison spread throughout my body. Felt each and every individual wound. I had felt the pain of betrayal and loss.

I am in pain.

I hear a voice in my head,

"_Now you know of Elbein. That is all I can show you. You have to find him and put an end to him. It's the only way you can save him."_

Was the beast… Dalibor?

I somehow know what the name means or at least the rough meaning.

It meant 'to fight far away'. It seems that all he ever does is fight from far away.

Could that kind concerned Dalibor be… the beast?

Impossible.

Another memory strikes me. I had heard Teklovin tell me that I had made him a monster. I had re4spondd that I had given him the form.

What did that mean? How could it even be related to possible?

And the last thing. I was born in the 1500s in my memories I had gotten more the feel of… 800s. Around the beginning of the medieval period.

That would make me…one thousand two hundred and fourteen.

And I had the feeling I was older even than that.

I hear the beast – Dalibor – say something I have never heard before. At least…not in this life,

"Please. Let us find Elbein."

I feel my body slowly begin to comprehend my desires. I feel myself stand and turn to William.

He looks worries to death.

"I think I know somewhere we can look."

I turn and walk away, leaving the other gaping monsters behind me.

Little did I know but I had been changing forms so fast and violently, I had appeared to be flickering.

I begin to run. My speed. I leave William to find my trail, something I have no doubt he will find an easy task.

I run to the old childhood meeting place of ages past. There I see the most gruesome creature I had ever seen.

I looked like a forced mix of werewolf, golem, and…black dragon.

I had metal plates imbedded into its skin; looking as if they had grown out from beneath the skin. It had wings and scales, mixed with fur. The fur was matted and covered in long dried blood. Yet even with the blood its scent is next to none. Its face was that of a werewolf yet from its teeth dripped the venomous acid of the black dragon.

It was large and looked to be furious and in pain. It looked crazy enough to kill.

It turns to me as I enter the clearing. When it speaks the voice is only recognized by the long ago memory of what he used to be.

Elbein was made a monster. I made him one. His voice sounds like it could have been from the top ten scariest horror movie scary voices forced into one. It sends shivers down my spine,

"Ah the lady of the beasts returns to the humble stay of the clearing. Who would have thought?"

I tense remembering the last fight I had fought here,

"Interesting friends of yours. Gorgons are they? How…cute."

"How do you know about them?"

"Oh don't act like the pretty little necklace you wear hasn't given me away on multiple occasions. Tell me; what does the ever wise Dalibor have to say this time?"

"Hold on don't change form. Let me handle this. It's my turn to take control."

I feel his uneasiness, only barely disguised,

"Very well. It goes out of hand and I will take over. Call me when you need me."

I nod inwardly and speak to Elbein,

"Dalibor? Please, I don't know who you're talking about."

He snarls – well - they both do.

"The second being you carry around girl. Dalibor! Don't try to fool with me!"

"Oh you mean him! Oh no! He doesn't have a name. He's just a crazy, mindless, killing beast who kills when he wants to. He never talks. Never listens. Never hears. He gave up trying to get through me. I have complete control over him. I had a sorcerer come and take away most of his will. I now hi=old the ability to turn into the other form without him being there."

Elbein looks surprised.

"You lie. You would never do such a thing."

"But I did."

He glared at me and I feel a slightly…pleased feeling coming from Dalibor.

"_You think I'm a beast? I knew that but… I'm hurt that you would admit it to Elbein of all people."_

I shush him with my mind.

Elbein grins,

"Then he won't be able to protect you when I do this!"

Elbein lunges at me.

I dodge and the fighting begins.

I must admit without Dalibor the fighting is kind of tough. We both have unmatched speed and we both have killer weapons built in.

He tries to crush me will the metal spikes on his back. I barely get out of the way on time. I grab a nearby sapling and pull it from the ground slamming it into his mouth as he tries to bite me. I watch as it rots at rapid speed and then crumbles to ash in his mouth. He grins.

We are dancing around the clearing and trying not to get killed. I realize that actually he isn't trying not to get killed at all, only kill.

I see an opening in his wild fighting style and prepare to go for it,

"_Valla no!"_

I hear it come from two directions. One comes from in my head and the other comes from the other side of the clearing where William just appeared. Both sound panicked and afraid.

Dalibor has never once in my present memory called me by my name.

I make the attack. I make a wild slash at Elbein's gut and open it up. Before I can defend myself. I am being held against Elbein with a claw held point to my chest. Right above my heart.

"I may not be able to kill you for good, but I can make you restart all over again. That's all I need."

William cries out, panicked.

"Any last words Vallarin?"

I swallow,

"Uh yeah, actually. Do you have any idea what you just did?"

He seems slightly puzzled and infuriated.

"I have caught you Zatov."

"Uh no, actually" – I steel my voice. Even to me I sound cold. – "You caught Dalibor."

I allow Dalibor to take over and let myself drift a bit. I never knew fights were that exhausting without Dalibor there to help. I'm tired.

I let myself draft away.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Dalibor's point of view.<strong>_

I take control of my form. So this is what she was planning. I feel her drift away.

Good let her sleep.

Before Elbein can respond I slam my elbow into his shredded stomach. Not even a man who no longer cares for his life can take that blow without doubling over.

I grab his arm and twist it until the elbow is no longer facing the correct position. I give it another jerking twist to insure it will never be able to turn back to its natural facing.

I take a step back and begin to pummel the monster whom Valla and I had once called friend.

He had tried to kill her. He could not be forgiven. I make the fight last as long as I can, inflicting as many small wounds as I can. And causing him as much pain as possible.

I notice him begin to slow down. Now then, that just won't do. I slap him in the face, carefully avoiding his teeth that I know, while not killing me, will kill her again. I make sure to get his nose.

He isn't as slow now. He finally falls to his knees unable to fight from the loss of more than three fourths of his blood. An amount that could fill three men.

I step up next to him and make him look me in the eyes.

"There is a favor I still owe her. Multiple. Thousands. This is one that I owe you. Old friend, may you rest in peace."

He stares up at me, begging me to kill him and for a moment I see the old him in his eyes.

"Please. Old…friend."

I kill him quickly – painlessly.

The last favor I can grant him. I turn away from the beast, not wanting to see what will happen. Knowing what will happen.

Everyone who she made into monsters strait from her hands returns to the people they were before upon death.

I turn to William,

"You gave her the armor."

William nodded,

"I figured it was a dire need."

I look at the man before me. The last time we spoke had been in the 1500s, when Blake died. I feel a strange feeling inside me. I smile a bit. This is what I get for always listening to her. Guilt.

"I'm sorry. I realize that these may be the best terms we've met on so far."

William looks at me sideways.

"I must agree."

He stares behind me,

"I'm sorry."

I grunt,

"It was past his time."

"Thank you."

I look at him – no doubt strangely.

He sees my look and smiles. I catch his thought,

"_Just like Valla."_

And let it pass.

"For taking care of Valla."

I nod.

"Where is she?"

I look at him and smile tightly,

"Resting."

"Good. You know I think that this is the first I've seen you in your human form."

I shoot a glare at him,

"Don't tell her."

"Not until you let me, will I breathe a word."

I nod and look over my shoulder. Elbein is lying in the middle of the clearing; he looks just like from the past. I turn and walk away. I turn into my beast form when I feel Valla begin to wake. I jump when she speaks,

"_Elbein Beast. That's what I'll call them. All the ones that I made that just…don't turn out right. He deserves that and so do they."_

I know what she means. No longer do the monsters that turned out ruined and deformed like Elbein have to be unnamed.

They would be Elbein Beasts. They didn't deserve to be unnamed.

"_Just like you."_

I jump,

"_What?"_

"_You don't deserve to be unnamed either. I'm sorry… Dalibor."_

I smile and give her control.

I had my name back.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Valla's point of view<strong>_

I feel his suppressed pleasure and feel a bit happy myself.

I turn to William.

"Hey, so we need a new history teacher and who knows history better than you?"

He looks at me,

"No."

I grin and go home.


	16. Seeling the Deal with Josh and Gorgons

I go and find the triplet gorgons and Josh and find them just as they are dismissed from school. I overhear them say something about splitting up into teams to find me. I clear my throat and they all whirl around to face me.

The sun burns but pay it no heed as I step out of the shadow of the school and into the sunlight. I smile and then yelp as the guys all tackle me into a huge group hug. Their goal seems to be to crush me to death.

"Where have been!?"

I smile tightly as I regain my breath as the guys pull away to hear my answer.

"Fighting with an old friend."

They all give me strange looks and I realize how I must look. I'm wearing armor that before their eyes is fixing itself. My armor and I are both covered in blood.

"Perhaps, we should go somewhere else?"

They nod and form what I can only call a guarding formation around me. I direct them to my home.

They gape at the house they see before them.

"This? This is your…house?" Taj seems truly surprised.

"Yup. Come on in."

I lead them inside and they seem relieved to see that on the inside unlike the outside it is not falling apart.

I laugh and lead them to the study. A room filled with book that I never allow to grow dusty. AS of lately however they have been getting a little dusty.

I sit down and the guys follow my lead. Janile and Victen come and give us tea and light the fireplace, seemingly oblivious to my protests that we could do it.

They grin at the guys and I swear Janile winks and tilts her head toward me, the guys blush. I focus on my hearing when I see Victen saying something to the guys,

"She's a stubborn one. Which one of you is gonna marry her?"

I choke on my tea, and hear the guys respond,

"Well – uh – haven't really thought about that sir."

"Are any of you interested in her?"

I hear some mumbled responses but no answers, then

"Well, who wouldn't be?"

I glance up at the guys and see Josh looking at Victen with a…wistful? Look on his face.

I look away from the conversation.

Janile comes and takes my arm, gently pulling me to my feet. I look at her, confused as she leads me to my room. A short while later she is treating my still healing wounds. I strain my ears to hear the guys' conversation,

"She's a beast. You're a human. Would you be able to live with that difference? You'll die of old age. She will stay seventeen your whole life."

"I could live with it."

"You would have to deal with Dalibor as well. How would you deal with that?"

"I would not force him to leave. I would simply live knowing that it his choice whether or not to give her to me."

"And if his answer is no?"

"…Then I will live as her friend."

"Good."

I hear them continue talking then,

"What would my chances be?"

Taj? Why would he be asking unless…

"You too are interested in her?"

I hear Taj clear his throat,

"Ah, um, yes I am."

"You are aware of the curse of the gorgon?"

"…"

"That there are always three children when there are those who have the blood of Medusa?"

"…"

"That there is always one of the three who survives while the other two either die, go missing, or go bad?"

"Yes I know of the curse of the gorgon."

"Your chances could be high if you are not the two."

"It won't happen this time. We'll break the curse."

"Good. I had a friend who became the medusa. Break the curse. Anyone else?"

Silence.

I sit in shock on my bed as Janile bandages my wounds.

Two. Two of my friends. I listened again.

They were off the topic and instead I hear Victen talking about how Janile should be nearly done. I hear footsteps leading up to my room. Janile finishes the bandaging and I fling the cover over me and lay down.

The guys walk on in and see me. Those that are capable of embarrassment blush when they see my clothes and armor in the corner and me laying stiff beneath my covers.

Apparently Josh is incapable of such a feeling of embarrassment.

He walks over and sits next to my bed,

"You wanted to talk to us?"

I smile a bit and turn to all of them,

"I know I haven't formally addressed it but… I would like you all to be my friends. You are the first I've had since Blake. At least that I remember. And Dalibor and Victen and Janile and William don't count."

They look at me curiously and I hurry to explain. I point at myself, "Dalibor" – I point at Janile, - "Janile" – I point at Victen – "Victen" – I point outside – "and somewhere out there is William the vampire."

They nod. Ricky smiles,

"Since they don't count then I guess we can."

I look at him and grin,

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

I raise my eyebrow, wondering if he'll remember, He grins.

"Allow me to correct myself. My lady Supreme Dweeb. Please allow us to be your first friends in a long time, besides those that don't count."

He bows mockingly and his triplets laugh and join him. Josh looks at them for a second, glances at me, shrugs and bows.

"I suppose you will all do as my Dweebly vessels."

We laugh for a while (which hurts my slowly mending ribs) and tell jokes and embarrassing stories. Victen joins in and turns out there is a very good reason he was a janitor.

He was the one who had always made the messes and he had started to feel bad for the janitor in his high school days and had started to get into the habit of cleaning up his own destruction.

In the end he became a janitor to put it short.

We talk for a good long while and eventually Janile grows tired and Victen retires with her. As soon as they are gone Josh turns to me,

"I know you heard everything downstairs."

I blush bright red and so does everyone besides Josh who seems incapable of such an emotion. I realize that all the guys are waiting for my response so I shrug sheepishly,

"I may have heard a bit of it."

Josh's eyes are piercing,

"What'd you think?" He doesn't look it or sound it but I can smell his slight nervousness.

"I need to…think on that for a while."

Taj speaks and he seems down-right worried,

"Did you hear about… the curse?"

I nod. Triplets glance at each other, Ricky speaks,

"What did- do - you think?"

I smile at them.

"You guys know I'm a have a serious double personality right?"

They nod looking slightly confused,

"And you know that I have the ability to change into a crazy beast form right?"

Again, they nod,

"And you have seen me kill one of our history teachers right?"

They nod,

"And you guys are still willing to be my friends?"

They nod smiling a little now that they see where I'm going.

"Guys, I don't care about some curse. We will break it. Because that's what friends do, and if any of you do go bad then I'm tellin you here and now. I won't be the one who ends our friendship ok?"

They grin and nod. Josh smiles too,

"Now you guys get out so I can get dressed and go to sleep."

Taj, Samuel, and Ricky leave.

"Josh that includes you."

He grins and to my surprise and horror he leans forward and kisses my forehead, then stands and walks out.

I hear a tiny voice from Dalibor in my head. He sounds… amused.

"_Well. He finally blushed."_

I blush and tell him to shut up and hurry to get dressed. I walk up the wall and am just getting to sleep when Josh pops back into the room and grins,

"Huh, you really do sleep on the ceiling. And with a teddy bear."

He starts laughing and throws my bear at him, utterly embarrassed. He cackles and ducks out of the room.

I grin and let myself drift off to sleep.


	17. Two Years Later and A Birthday

_**Two years later.**_

I wake to a loud knock on the door and four guys barging in. I groan and let myself fall from the ceiling. I land as always and glare bleary eyed at the guys as I turn off my alarm. That hadn't been giving a chance to do the waking since these four learned where I live.

Which is in a previously falling apart house, that due to the insistence of these four and my now nine other residents, is now in great condition. I go downstairs, ignoring or not hearing (However you want to put it) what the guys are saying.

I step off the bottom step and breathe deeply the smell of waffle and cinnamon. There hasn't been any cooking in this house since Janile came to stay. Which then brought Victen which then brought their quadruplets – Patteil, Gerdale, Tanyep, and Fruquel – And soon after the triplets – Abblen, Drebor, and Rehundele. The order of which was girl, boy, boy, boy, boy, boy, girl.

Confusing. And a curse of werewolves is that the young grow and mature quickly and then reach and stay middle age for much longer than humans. I sigh as I am predictably tackled by little monsters. Literally.

I walk into the kitchen with young werewolves ranging from two to one years old while looking and acting like six to seven year olds. Their mother laughs a bit as she makes breakfast and her husband and father of the little critters comes and saves me, laughing.

They both look much happier and healthier since the first time I saw them. Both seem a lot happier with all the rascals running around.

I sit down after having the werewolf pups peeled off of me and begin the process of eating. I stop when I realize that everyone is staring at me.

"What?"

They all blink and laugh. I look down at myself to see if I'm wearing something ridiculous, then pull out the mirror I now always carry around thanks to Ricky and still see nothing strange.

"What?!"

I am truly mystified by what they find to be so funny.

Josh sits down next to me.

"C'mon Vall think. What day is it?"

I look at him and try to think. I shrug.

"I dunno its summer break. Who the heck keeps track of days over summer break?"

Everyone, even the seven kids grin.

"Oh. Right all of you. How could I forget? Fine. What day is it?"

Taj sits on my other side and put his elbow on the table, examines my face then drops his head in his hand with an amused smile,

"She really doesn't know."

Ricky grins,

"Guess that'd explain why she missed mine."

Samuel just grins and hands me a calendar. Turns out the guys have been marking off the days one by one until the circled day which is… April 23. I groan and drop my head in my hands.

How old does that make me? A voice in the back of my head pipes in, obviously amused,

"_Too old"_

"_Shut up Dalibor."_

I bring my head back up and have HAPPY BIRTHDAY shouted in my face.

The house is filled with laughter and happy birthdays. The children still don't seem to completely realize that they only need to say it once so they say it over and over for quite a while.

The guys laugh at me as the little one climb all over me and the two girls begin to try to do my hair. They had realized that I happen to probably be one of the only girls to ever be uncomfortable around kids.

Part of the reason being is that you never know just what kids are going to do. And let me tell you monster kids are just plain devious. I see one of the guys I don't really care which reach back and pull one of the girls away from my head.

Samuel has little Rehundele in his arms and is trying to get her to give me something. She looks adamant not to until he playfully threatens her that he'd turn her to stone. She giggles and finally turns to me and gives me a little present.

It looks like a drawing of two adults with dog ears holding hands with seven smaller people with dog ears holding their other hands and then what must be me to the side with a large, strangely shaped house. To the other side are four other people three of which are wearing sunglasses.

I laugh and give her a hug. This rare show of affection from me seems to spur the other children on and I am soon showered in gifts. Everyone laughs and then the guys all give me their gifts.

Taj got me my very own pair of sunglasses. Which look seriously cool and explains why I had had a dream about him measuring my head? They are specially made for me and fit and look amazingly. He also gives me a new shirt that has a howling wolf on it. It's pretty dang awesome looking.

Ricky – ever dramatic fellow he is - gives me a laptop and when I open it a face pops up and freaks everyone but him. He simply chuckles and opens a thing of pepper and pours it into his mouth. Fun fact about these guys is that every time they do something mean or wrong they will punish themselves by making themselves eat pepper. Don't ask me how it started they never told me.

Samuel gives me a free ticket to the zoo that he works at. He's a quiet guy who we all were a little surprised to learn loved animals so much. Then we realized that he works in the reptile section with all the snakes and couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

He was not amused.

Josh gives me a couple of book I had been wanting but unable to find in the libraries. Then when no one is looking and before I can stop him kisses me on the cheek and hurries away before I can clobber him. I fume. I still have not answered either of their affections. For me we are simply friends.

Victen gives me a story about a werewolf and a human hunting a vampire and can't seem to get along. It seems he has many amusing stories up his sleeves.

After we finish laughing one of the older boys, Gerdale, who is afraid of the dark gives me a nightlight. I smile because he has already given me a present and is now just being the one of the only one of Janie and Victen's kids to behave Janile and Victenly. I thank him and the celebrating resumes.

Once I finally get a break from all the attention – which I personally have always been uncomfortable with – I grab Gerdale and take him up to my room.

"Gerdale it was very sweet of you to give me your nightlight."

He blushes and shrugs. I smile; he's also one of the only ones who get embarrassed easy.

"You know I used to be afraid of the dark?"

He looks up at me, unbelieving. Clearly not thinking that I of all people could have ever been afraid of the dark.

"But why would you be afraid of the dark? You're big and powerful. I'm just" – He shrugs – "Me."

I smile,

"Big and powerful huh? That's only when Dalibor makes an appearance remember?"

He shrugs still not believing.

"The reason I was afraid was because I thought I had no one. You do though. You have six siblings and loving parents and the guys and me. We will always be here. Ok?"

He nods.

"But until you feel unafraid I will give you something that I'm pretty sure my mother gave me. Now it's very special so don't let your siblings tear it up ok?"

He looks like his birthday just came instead of mine and nods rapidly.

I pull out the stuffed bear and hand it to him. He holds it reverently, like it's made of brittle glass.

I smile and ruffle his hair,

"Now what do you say we put that somewhere safe and head back downstairs?"

He nods, still staring at the bear.

We head downstairs and spend the day laughing. We play ridiculous games, and tell hilarious stories. We eat cake and ice-cream and pull pranks. We laugh so hard we cry. It is one of the best days ever.

At dusk when the kids start to yawn we out them in bed and play quieter games for a while before I finally decide it's time for my birthday celebrations to end.

"OK. I know the human is tired and I also know that the gorgons aren't allowed to stay out past two and that it is indeed three and three hours past my birthday. See y'all later."

With everyone laughing at my less than gracious dismissal the guys head out and Janile comes up to me and hands me something, smiles, and walks away.

I look at it and smile. She has given me an envelope of pictures.

I see Patteil, Gerdale, Tanyep, and Fruquel, Abblen, Drebor, and Rehundele. I see Taj and Ricky and Samuel and Josh. I see Victen and Janile and me. I even see William in one. I laugh because he looks caught off guard.

I flip through them and see Gerdale holding my bear as I ruffle his hair. I see Rehundele hugging her favorite "uncle" Samuel. I see Josh kissing me on the cheek and see something I hadn't seen. When he turned around his face had been bright red.

I see myself being showered in gifts and everyone laughing. I see Taj falling off the back porch thanks to a prank we had pulled on him. I see the children running around. I see myself being tackled by them. I see Ricky running from them looking like his life was in danger. Which may have been true.

The last picture shows the only picture I had even partially been aware of. All of us are in a group and smiling. We look like a family.

I smile and head upstairs stopping in at the kids' rooms because I hear them moving around. I see them all laying in their beds and smile,

"Go to sleep guys."

I get a collective,

"M'kay."

I see Gerdale hugging my stuffed bear and pat his hair. He smiles and thanks me. As I leave I hear him take his usual deep breath.

Not only is he afraid of the dark but he's also afraid to forget all of us. So every night he takes a memory breath. His father recommended it, saying that if he ever forgot he'd unconsciously remember the smell. For a werewolf a smell was unforgettable.

If it had ever been there you could always get it. The smell didn't ever leave. It stock and all you had to do was try to sift through all the smells. And remember. I smile and go to my room.

I dream that I am in my house and there is a young man I don't recognize but somehow know is a werewolf standing in the closet looking at something. I realize I am not in the room merely looking in. I hear a voice to my left,

"Gerdale? Is it Her again?"

I look at the young man and slowly see the similarities. He has the same dark brown hair as the young Gerdale that I know now and is built the same too. I turn to see the speaker, she looks older.

She looks gentle and kind and so much like Janile that I know it is her. Years later.

"It's the only thing left that we have."

I hear something I don't like to hear. He sounds like he's crying.

He turns around and in his hands is a little bear. He smells it and then holds it out to his mother.

She takes it gingerly in her hands and looks at it. Then she begins to cry and fall to her knees. Gerdale catches her and I see the other seven werewolves come in. I can see all of them. They all look older, sadder.

I see in the corner is a table with a picture of me laughing on my birthday. A picture Janile had taken just today and realize something terrible as they all take a sniff or look at the bear that had once been mine. As I hear Gerdale say something It hits me.

"This is the only thing we have left of her."

I wake up without a single memory of my dream.


	18. A Thrid Member

I wake up before the guys even get to my door. They bust in, wake up calls on their lips to see me fully awake and glaring at them.

"I know. First day of senior year. Hooray. Three cheers for another year of endless horror."

They laugh at me and pat me on the back. Over the last two years I have had nothing but monsters and trouble at school. The guys have started calling me the Bad Luck With Bangs and Fangs or BLWBF. I swear the triplets are three year olds in disguise.

Josh walks in and gives me a small smile. I can smell his nervousness. William is to be our history teacher this year. It will be Josh's first real meeting with William Harrison.

I stick my tongue out at them and walk past them to the kitchen where the werewolf family is running around. The little ones start their first day of home school today as well. I give them all hug then turn to Janile and Victen with a mock glare,

"Why do you guys always let these rascals in?"

Janile grins, Victen is a little less diplomatic,

"Cause theyre bloody in love with you."

And cracks up laughing. I stick my tongue out at him.

I sit down for three point seven seconds to eat about four bites of my pancakes before I stand up again. Janile glares at me and gently but firmly pushes me back into my seat and points to my plate.

I smile a little. She's as close to a mother as I remember ever having. Dalibor must have taken away my memories of that time at some point.

She has reason to be worried about me. I usually inhale my food but lately all I do is eat a few bites and that's it. I never have an appetite. I always feel on edge. Like something is about to happen.

I talked to Dalibor and he says he had noticed the same feeling within himself as well. Dalibor has been strangely quiet lately.

I eat the rest of my food and then leave with the guys to school. They talk the whole way there and I just walk along side them, not listening.

Ricky howls with laughter at something one of the others says and I laugh reflexively. I know something is wrong with me. Lately I feel no humor, no desire to listen to funny stories. I instead find myself thinking exclusively about… I don't know.

I think on it and then try to think about what I am thinking about and it will disappear. I don't feel right.

I feel the urge to look to my left and do so, just in time to see a man bow slightly to me. In the mirror behind him he had had the form of a goblin.

Goblins don't bow to just anyone.

"Guys lets hurry and get to school okay?"

They look at me, surprised. I forse a grin,

"Last one there is a hoarse siren."

I speed away with supernatural speed, clearly the winner. I sit on the steps for a bit and think. Why would a goblin bow to me?

I know that for some reason many monsters fear or respect me but I have never had a goblin bow to me.

Too late I feel the strangely weak heat from the necklace and then I feel the dagger pairce my skin and plunge into my heart.

I look down at it, shocked and in pain. I am numb. Then to my confusion I feel myself smile.

"Do you really think that that is going to kill us?"

I feel myself stand and face my would- be-assasin. An old elf stares back.

Elves I know are mostly kind and quiet folk who would do no unneeded this one had stabbed me in the back. Why?

I feel myself moving, yet have no control. I reach out and grab the man by his throat and hold him in the air, watching as the light slowly leaves his eyes. Then I throw his as hard as I can away from me. He goes fling fifty feet away.

I hear shouting and turn to see the guys running up, clearly out of breath. I feel myself point at Ricky and then turn and run away.

I find myself in my room. I am sore and I am tired. Most of all I am confused.

Someone had taken me over and It hadn't been Dalibor.

I had thaught of Dalibor as evil until two years ago. I now realized what evil felt like. I reach up to feel the wound in my heart. It has not healed. There is hole in my chest. A hole in my heart.

I look around and find that my room is in ruins all around me. I stand painfully and open the door and go into the mirror room. I look into the mirror.

Have you ever had two friends try to look in a mirror at the sametime as you?

That is me. I see three faces. One is mine. One is Dalibor's. One is someone ive never seen.

Janile suddenly appears in the mirror behind me. She lightly touches my shoulder. The unknown face makes a disgusted looking face.

"What is wrong?"

I look at her, as does Dalibor. In our two years having known her she's only spoken at our meeting and the naming of the children and in soft voices to Victen in their room. I give her a hug,

"I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me but I feel like im falling apart."

She nods and we walk out. In the living room are all the children, Victen, the guys, William and an annoying sprite I seem to have officially adopted last year named Jweb.

They all lokk at me, worried, expaectant, sad, mad, and relieved on every face in the crowd.

Josh speaks first,

"What happened?"

I look at them all one by one,

"I have another one."

William seems to get it first.

"Another?"

I nod,

"Like… Dalibor?"

I hesitate,

"Same type of thing I think but this is deffinately not Dalibor. This is someone else."

Taj speaks,

"I don't like it."

Josh rolls his eyes,

"No duh Sherlock. I don't think anyone likes it."

Ricky looks sick while Samuel looks troubled.

Victen,

"Is it dangerous?"

"IT- Dalibor says it's a she- killed an elf this morning."

Samuel jerks his head up,

"You saw an elf?"

I nod,

"In town? At the school?"

"Yes."

He looks worried as can be. I decide to lift some wheight off his shoulders,

"Nothing. She made me turn around and kill him. That's all."

He looks doubtfull but stays quiet.

We talk for hours before I feel a giant headache coming on, not unlikr the one I had right before I went all beast form and killed my first history teacher.

I lurch outside and into the cold and allow it all to pass.

Josh comes outside and stands beside me.

We stand there for a couple minutes before he breaks the silence.

"Be careful ok? He may be a state-the-obviously-stupid-and-already-known-facts guy but he's right. I don't like this."

I smile. He still doesn't completely get along with taj and ends up calling him many different names. Its rre when he actually agrees to something Taj says.

"I will."

He turns and heads on home.

"Your hiding something."

I grimace when Samuel speaks. He always manages to hit me right on target.

"I may have gotten myself a little hurt that's all."

"…Let me see."

"…Look at the spot by my right shoulder blade. There should be a hole."

He skims his fingers over it then goes to inspect the same spot on my frontside. He look up at me with a mixture of shock, greif, and admiration.

"Its not healing?"

I shake my head,

"Not yet."

He looks me in the eyes.

"You have to tell the others."

"Not yet."

He stares into my eyes for a bit then sighs.

"Fine. But you will tell them before its too late."

I nod.

"Im going to go to bed. Tell the others for me please."

I turn and walk away. As I lay on my bed I swear I hear a cruel woman's voice in my head singing a lullaby.


End file.
